Atlas
by Witness Gaxkang
Summary: Shepard and Miranda deal with the aftermath of ME2. Final chapter now up! Didn't expect that, did you?
1. Atlas

_Atlas_

Disclaimer: The game and the characters aren't mine, etc.

A/N: This takes place more or less immediately after the ending of ME2, so there's obviously going to be spoilers. This is also the first piece of fan fiction I've ever written, and English is my **third** language, so if there's some odd punctuation, strange choices of words or other weird...things, please point them out. I swear semicolons and commas are my two greatest nemeses (yes, I googled the plural). Anyways, all feedback is greatly appreciated.

Summary: Shepard and Miranda deal with the aftermath of ME2.

* * *

Commander Adrian Shepard.

He was many things. To the general public, he was an orphan after Batarian slavers attacked his homeworld of Mindoir, the fabled sole survivor of a thresher maw attack on Akuze back in 2177, the first human Spectre and the recently resurrected savior of the Citadel.

To the few people who actually knew him, he was also an inspirational leader, a brilliant tactician, an all-round good guy and a damn fine soldier. There was however one thing that he was hell-bent on keeping a secret from everyone.

He was really fucking tired.

As he saw the weary eyes of the scar-covered man staring back at him through the mirror, he wondered how no-one else seemed to notice this. Maybe they did, but didn't want to believe it. Better to believe in the facade of a stoic hero. Someone who had it all figured out, someone who never asked for much in return, someone who showed no fear even when faced with impossible odds. He was the one person who everyone in the galaxy seemed to look to for leadership, for protection. He had to be strong for them. No matter how tired, pissed off or utterly terrified he was at times.

Snapping out of his reverie and wrapping a towel around his waist, Shepard stepped out of the bathroom into the captain's cabin on the new and improved Normandy. Small luxuries like his own bathroom and being able to take hot showers were definitely among the upgrades that he appreciated the most on his new ship. Leaving a trail of water in his wake, he walked over to the couch while grabbing a glass off his desk and a bottle of the hardest liquor he had managed to find on Omega.

Pouring himself a glass, he unceremoniously let himself fall back onto the couch before downing the blue liquid in his glass in a single gulp. Just how did he manage to pull off saving the entire fucking galaxy **twice** and yet fail miserably in keeping his own crew, his **family** safe?

Jenkins? Dead.

Alenko? Dead.

Pressly? Dead.

Adams? Dead.

Now he could add almost the entire crew of the Normandy SR-2 to that list. There weren't even any bodies left that he could've given burials worthy of the unsung heroes that they were. The small ceremony with empty caskets that he'd held down in the cargo bay with the rest of the survivors hardly seemed enough.

Releasing a heavy sigh, the Commander slouched forward; resting his chin in his hands and staring intently at the liquor.

"Who needs a glass, anyway?" he muttered to himself before reaching for the bottle.

*****************

Shepard's alcohol-dulled senses barely registered the door to his cabin opening a few hours later.

"I know you said you wanted some time alone after the ceremony, but you've been up here for hours." Miranda Lawson spoke as she determinately walked through the room.

She was now wearing the casual shirt and pants that the entire crew were distributed when they came aboard the Normandy; her usual uniform was filled with holes, cuts and covered in blood following their assault on the Collectors. In her hands she held two tall glasses and what looked like bottle of wine.

"And I was thinking that we **do** have cause to celebrate, in spite of everything..." she trailed off as she reached the couch and saw the Commander's half-naked form.

He was staring off into the distance, lost somewhere deep in thought and she couldn't help but notice the very empty bottle on the table in front of him.

"I see you've started without me." Miranda stated, a hint of amusement seeping into her tone.

No reaction.

"Shepard?"

He finally snapped out of it and turned his head to face her.

"Huh?" Shepard absent-mindedly replied before turning his head back into its previous position.

"You ok?" Concern now flashed across Miranda's face.

Shepard turned his head back and really looked at her for the first time since she had entered the room. Meeting her gaze, he silently stared into her blue eyes for several moments; seemingly contemplating his answer. He broke eye contact and turned his attention back to the innocuous spot on the wall that seemed to fascinate him so. Several more moments of silence passed.

"No." He finally replied.

Miranda set the two glasses and the wine bottle down on the table as she sat down next to him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

"Not really."

Miranda didn't really know what to make of the man sitting next to her. She'd never seen Shepard like this. She had expected to come up to his cabin, share a couple of glasses of the fine wine she'd been saving, tell some stories and laugh at a stupid joke or two. She just wanted to help ease the burden she knew he carried. The burden of every single life in the galaxy. Up until now, it was a burden he had carried exceptionally well. She had never even considered the possibility that anything would've been too much for **the** Commander Shepard to handle.

As Miranda tried to come up with something to say, Shepard spoke.

"So...how are you liking unemployment so far?"

She couldn't help but smile. Both at the question itself and at the fact that it was he who broke the uncomfortable silence. He, who moments earlier had seemed so utterly lost and isolated from everything around him, consumed by some untold dark musings.

"Honestly...it's not that bad. Besides, I have a feeling that I won't exactly have the time to get bored if I stick around keeping an eye on you." Miranda replied before the smile playing on her lips vanished. "I've spent my entire adult life working for Cerberus, and never once did I think that the things I did were anything other than good. Morally questionable at times, but I always believed that I was doing the right thing. Helping people."

She paused for a moment. "Looking back at those years now, I'm not so sure anymore. The fact that The Illusive Man wanted us to keep that base intact, to use it? Makes me wonder just what he's done with all the research I've carried out over the years, the intel I've procured..."

Shepard turned to face the former Cerberus Operative, taking her hand in his and gently stroking her knuckles with a calloused thumb in a reassuring gesture.

Taking a deep breath, Miranda continued. "At any rate, what the Collectors were doing on that base and that...thing we fought? Nobody should have that kind of technology. That kind of power. You made the right call."

Shepard withdrew his hand and turned away from her again, ignoring her puzzled look as he blankly stared straight ahead.

"What if he's right, Miranda?" Shepard said, and Miranda noticed a slight slurring in his speech for the first time.

"Who's right about what?"

"The Illusive Man. What if he's right about the Collector base? What if it held the key to defeating the Reapers and we destroyed it? What if all those people died for nothing?" Bitterness and anger now obvious in his tone as his jaw set in a tight line. Shepard blamed himself.

"He isn't. End of story." Miranda replied. "You've managed to save the galaxy from the Reapers twice, Shepard. Twice! You can do it again. _We _can do it again."

"What do I have to show for it? Saving the galaxy? Besides the people on this ship, nobody in the entire goddamn galaxy seems to believe that the Reapers even exist. They think Sovereign was just a single Geth ship, they think I'm crazy! The Council, The Alliance..." Shepard trailed off as he leaned back on the couch and ran his hands over his face.

"Shep-" Miranda started before she was cut off by the man sitting by her side.

"And the Quarians! Oh, the Quarians. They're too preoccupied with living in the past, fighting a war their ancestors started. I mean, who cares about the impending doom of the entire galaxy when you can keep sending your people to die in a pointless stalemate? Maybe I should just hire every fucking mercenary on Omega? That way I'd at least have people behind me that'd do what's necessary as long as they're paid. But it's not like it matters. They'll all die. Asari, Humans, Turians, Salarians, Quarians. Doesn't matter. They'll. All. Die." Shepard continued, his voice steadily rising until he practically shouted the last few words.

"No matter what I do, they always die." He concluded in a whisper.

A few seconds of silence passed, before Miranda reached out and firmly grasped one of Shepard's hands in both of her own.

"Shepard..." Miranda's voice was brimming with emotion. She desperately wanted to ease his pain.

"I can't do this shit anymore." Shepard's voice, still a barely audible whisper. "I can't keep burying people that were counting on me to save them. I can't keep giving eulogies to friends that I wasn't able to get to in time. I can't keep losing members of the closest thing I've had to a family since I was a kid." He paused.

"I can't lose you too, Miri." Not once did Shepard look at her during his confession.

Miranda closed what little distance remained between them until they were sitting hip to hip.

"Look at me, Shepard." She said.

He was unresponsive.

"Adrian, _please_ look at me." Miranda tried again.

This got his attention. The last person he remembered to have had referred to him simply by his first name was his mother. Even his closest friends he'd had since always knew him simply as Shepard. His jaw slightly trembling, he turned to look at her. As their eyes met, Miranda's heart broke at the sight of the myriad of emotions displayed in his blue-grey orbs that shimmered with unshed tears. Fear. Confusion. Guilt. Anger. Love. He was once again the lost boy that had everything he knew torn away from him on Mindoir.

"You won't lose me. Ever." Miranda fiercely stated. "I promise."

She let go of Shepard's hand so she could bring one of her hands to rest on his scarred chest, right on top of his heart. Her other hand traveled upwards still, until it was tenderly caressing his heavily-stubbled cheek.

"It's just you and me in here, Adrian. It's ok, you can let go." She continued. "Let me help you with this. You can trust me. Let me in."

With that, Miranda leaned in to capture his lips in a soft, lingering kiss. The strong taste of alcohol blending with a taste she could only describe as _him_. She swore that through the warm skin and hard muscle she could feel his strong heart starting to beat faster beneath her hand. As she broke away after several moments, she searched his glistening eyes for signs of admittance.

He let the last remnants of his stoic facade crumble.

Shepard's face contorted into a grimace as he released his tears from their blue-grey prison. Miranda gently pulled him into a comforting embrace, and he desperately clung to her as if his life depended on it. She felt a couple of drops of moisture roll down her own cheeks, as well, as mighty, terrible sobs wracked his entire body. Years of anguish released.

As Miranda held him, whispering sweet nothings into his ear, she realized just how deeply her love for this man ran. The thought terrified her, but she knew she would have it no other way. Right now, he needed her and she swore to herself that she'd be there for him.

She'd be there to help him carry his burden.


	2. Eos

_Eos_

A/N: First, a big thank you to everyone who clicked on that little green text at the bottom of the first chapter. Who's awesome? You're awesome.

Special thanks to **leogrl19**, who has helped me tremendously in bringing Miranda to life and putting all of this together. She should really be considered the co-author to this chapter. As such, she's even _**awesomer**_. I strongly recommend that everyone checks out her story, _A is For Apostate _if you're at all interested in Dragon Age: Origins, and specifically the character of Morrigan. [/cheap plug that she didn't even pay me for]

Ahem!

Summary: So, I decided to make this more than just a one-shot! _Eos _(a.k.a. chapter 2) sees Adrian and Miranda sorting through the events of the night before. The morning after, basically. Just don't expect loads of angst from this chapter, for there is little to be found. Quite the opposite, in fact as I try to justify the M rating and provide a fun, yet believable contrast to the first chapter.

As before, any and all feedback is still greatly appreciated.

* * *

Shepard awoke with a groan.

_"Oh God...fuck."_Was the first thing that he thought in his newfound consciousness.

The last time he checked, the Collector base that he and his team blew to smithereens had been hidden behind the Omega 4 relay; not inside his head. Simply opening his eyes seemed to increase the throbbing in his skull tenfold, and what little food he had eaten the day before threatened to come back with a vengeance.

Usually, Shepard could handle his alcohol, but that bottle filled with a liquid the name of which he couldn't even pronounce would've knocked out an entire clan of krogan, and he had been stupid enough to have poured all of it down his throat. He felt like his liver was desperately trying to escape his body by way of his mouth. At times like these, he wondered just how the hell he managed not to accidentally shoot himself in the foot every time he picked up a gun. Or even managed to operate said firearm.

Waking up wasn't all bad, though.

After getting used to the pain for a few seconds, the commander became aware of the warm, feminine body pressed tightly against his back. The arm around him gave a slight squeeze and the body pressed even more snugly against him.

Oh yeah, _definitely _feminine.

There were far worse things in the galaxy to wake up to than spooning with Miranda Lawson, Shepard reckoned; at the moment, her warm breath against his neck mostly caused him to get angry at himself over the massive hangover that was currently ruining what would've otherwise been a wonderful moment.

Despite the drinking binge that he'd gone on the night before, Shepard still remembered every little detail of what had transpired between them. Words spoken; tears shed... the taste of her lips. If it had been anyone other than Miranda that he'd broke down in front of like he had, he'd have been quite embarrassed right now. But since it _was _her, it somehow made it ok.

It was strange just how liberating it had felt to let all those pent-up emotions pour out after countless years of suppressing them. It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Every bit of the pain from wounds both old and fresh was still there, but it had been dulled considerably. It was bearable once more.

They had only known each other for a handful of months, but Shepard knew that he trusted the woman next to him implicitly. He'd take a mass accelerated slug for her without even thinking about it, and deep down he knew she'd do the same for him. The former Cerberus operative had proven herself time and again to be someone you could count on in the thick of battle. He had also found out that she was incredibly loyal and committed to whatever cause she believed in, as well as to her friends. She had earned his trust as surely as he had earned hers.

The two of them had flirted back and forth throughout their mission: they had become close friends and even spent those last few moments before the final assault on the Collectors in each other's arms. However, neither of them had ever been willing to really breach the subject of their feelings for each other. Every time that their conversations had strayed even close to that topic, Shepard had quickly joked it away with some line about 'admiring her body' or 'I'm just trying to get you into bed, Ms. Lawson'.

_"Why is it that whenever I try to be suave, I end up sounding like a complete pig?" _Shepard thought to himself.

Fortunately, Miranda had played along those times. But things were different now.

Now, there were no Collectors to worry about. No suicide mission ominously looming over them like a dark cloud. The Reapers were still coming, but for the moment they could hopefully enjoy some relative peace. Shepard figured that no matter what, Miranda was probably going to stick around the Normandy; around him. She was just as committed to stopping the Reapers as he was, and the Normandy would always be at the forefront in the battle against said Reapers. Her sticking around meant that for better or for worse, they needed to lay it all on the table. What they had shared with each other those few hours ago was in many ways far more intimate than any amount of sex they'd had right before their supposed suicide mission. After last night, there was no turning back; he had revealed too much of himself, and she had been so much more than a friend. The only direction available to them now was to move forward.

They really needed to have a talk.

The fact that at the moment, Miranda was peacefully sleeping very closely next to him, gave Shepard no small amount of hope over how that talk would turn out.

The commander had more pressing concerns, however. The incessant throbbing in his head showed no signs of lessening any time soon - he'd need some painkillers. That would require untangling himself from the brunette's warm embrace - surely waking her, and going to see Dr. Chakwas down in the medical bay. A choice between pain relief and Miranda?

_"...I can tough it out."_ Shepard convinced himself.

Just as a part of Shepard started to regret his choice, he felt her beginning to stir and her breathing pattern change. She was waking up.

"_Mmm_..." Miranda moaned out, albeit sleepily as her hand's touch on his chest squeezed slightly before her fingers slowly trailed across the defined ridges of his pectoral muscles, her lips curling into a soft smile as she felt a once steady pulse spike noticeably, "Now, this..." Her smile became mischievous as her hand's direction took a more southern route, aiming for his abs, "I could _certainly_ get used to."

While the rest of his body froze, Shepard felt his abs involuntarily twitch and convulse under Miranda's electric touch.

_"Oh God."_ Shepard inwardly groaned. Didn't she know what it did to him when her voice took on a tone like that? _"Of all the fucking times to be cursed with a hangover like this..." _He mentally cursed to himself.

Might as well let her know that he too was awake. "So, uh...good morning?" Shepard tentatively stated...Or asked.

She chuckled softly, her body pressing even closer to his own, wishing to further amalgamate her body heat with his. "Yes; it is." The brunette answered back, her blue eyes finally opening to the world. "The savior of the galaxy, twice over, conveniently missing a towel I'm quite certain was there last night." Her fingers played with the sensitive skin of his lower abdomen as her lips pressed into the back of his neck. "I don't _not_ like this…Though I am curious as to how I remain fully clothed. Did I have my way with you, Shepard?" You could hear the smirk in her voice.

"I... never thought I'd answer a question like... that with this, but: I hope not." Came Shepard's response, as he struggled with forming complete and coherent sentences. Between the soft pair of lips constantly brushing against his neck as Miranda spoke, and the patterns that her fingers were lazily drawing dangerously low on his abdomen - she wasn't making it easy. "That is something I'd definitely want to remember." Shepard continued, "Honestly, I don't remember much after I-uh... well, you know?"

_"Very eloquent, Adrian. Real fucking smooth." _His mind scolded him.

"Rendering the infamous Commander Shepard to broken sentences and unintelligible fragments?" Miranda asked rhetorically, finding his obvious lack of composure somewhat amusing. "I do believe that's grounds for a bit of narcissism on my part." From the second half of his words on how he wished to remember, she smiled, though gone was the mischief there mere seconds ago. "I have little doubt. No one has said that I wouldn't refresh your memory, however." Her eyebrows furrowed, slight lines of worry creasing her otherwise flawless forehead as she removed her hand from his abs and gently massaged his temple, finally expressing the concern she held for his actions last night; even he had to be feeling the effects of drinking a whole bottle of alien alcohol. "How are you feeling?"

"You mean other than the intense feeling of embarrassment and shame over what I can remember of last night? And considering getting my shotgun and splattering my brains all over the walls just to make the pain stop?" Shepard sarcastically replied with rhetorical questions. "Peachy."

While her gentle touch on his temple did little to ease the gargantuan headache he battled with, he could still appreciate just how soothing the affectionate gesture felt. "I'm still curious, though. Just how the hell did we end up in the same bed with me naked, while you're fully clothed?" The clear amusement over their situation was apparent in the commander's tone. "Not that I'm complaining." He quickly added.

The woman frowned. "You have nothing to feel embarrassed or shamed about. You didn't…" She hesitated to find the right words for the situation before beginning again, "I'm glad that you shared what you did. It had to take a certain level of…Well, I am happy you were able to confide in me." Pausing in her ministrations to his temple, Miranda laid the back of her hand on the front of his head before letting out a knowing tsk when she felt how warm it was. "You have a hangover. It's only your own damn fault – I don't know what you were thinking drinking that entire bottle of liquor." Scooting up, her face was now at the side of his head, securing her lips on his shaven head despite her chastising tone; it was a silly thought: that such a thing could actually make his hangover go away, but there was this new urging inside of her, one that wished to comfort this man. "You didn't even touch the wine I brought you, you ass." The woman accused, though there was not a serious fragment in it as she smiled – even more so from his question. "I thought we already went over this: I seduced you, obviously." She quirked a challenging brow at him, "Or could it be that you believe you are such the alpha male that a woman in your bed fully dressed is next to impossible?"

Momentarily forgetting the cranial torture he only had himself to blame for, Shepard couldn't help but smile at the playful and challenging tone in her voice. "Hey, I've saved the entire fuckin' galaxy twice - your words, not mine! That's as alpha male as it gets, toots." He replied with a chuckle.

"Yes; you did – which is the sole reason why you're being allowed to call me 'toots'. If I were you, I would enjoy it while it lasts; there'll be a limit on this 'savior of the galaxy' excuse of yours soon enough." The brunette responded back, amused and actually pleased that she had gotten a chuckle out of him after what they had been through last night.

"Even if what you say is true and you seduced me, just what the hell did you do to me that left one of us stark-naked and the other very much fully covered? Do I even want to know?" A smile still blatantly obvious in Shepard's tone as he continued, enjoying their lighthearted banter.

"Are you accusing me of foul play? Especially when it was your own devices that put you into this mess in the first place? If memory serves, Shepard, there's no need for fancy tricks on my part to get you in bed…or into a cleared engine room, for that matter." Miranda's tone lowered considerably on the last part as she repositioned herself once more to have her lips next to his ear, a single leg draped over his exposed body as she smirked. "Go figure."

While the reminder of their encounter a few days back, combined with her husky voice at the base of his ear, was having a definite effect on him; Shepard was determined to say his piece before he lost his train of thought. "To answer your earlier question: no, I wasn't really thinking when I emptied that entire bottle. Well, I was thinking about something but it was..." Shepard trailed off as the smile slowly vanished from his face. Reaching for her hand, he gently grasped it with his fingers. Taking on a far more serious tone, he continued. "Look, I... about last night? I just..." He couldn't seem to find the words. He brought her hand up to his face and briefly pressed his lips against it. "I... what I'm trying to say is: thank you. For... being there." He concluded.

As he reached for her hand and squeezed it gently, Miranda's playful smirk melted away into an appreciative smile as she opted for silence while he began to discuss the events of the former night, seeming to be at a loss for words on how to truly express the…emotion the night had brought, just as she had. Warmth flooded through her system when he gave the light kiss on her hand, his thankful words and sincerity meaning more to her in that moment than he could possibly know – all she wished that night was to be a source of comfort, and here he was confirming that she was just that. "You've already done the same…with Niket and my sister." Using her draped leg to her advantage, Miranda swung her lithe form to rest on top of his as she forced him to his back, blue eyes searching the depths of his own as they were now face to face. "I wished to be what you were to me on that day…A person I felt I could begin to trust;" She trailed her fingers down the side of his stubbled cheek, tasting what was to come next in her mouth before releasing them to him, "depend on…."

Shepard stifled a groan as he found himself suddenly rather self-conscious and at a definite disadvantage when the still clothed brunette straddled his vulnerable, bare form. Catching his first actual glimpse of her since the night before, he couldn't help but wonder just how she could possibly look as irresistible as she did first thing in the morning? Smell as good as she did? He could've sworn that her genetic tailoring seemed to include immunity to morning breath, as well. Maybe he was just too caught up in the moment to notice.

"Miri..." There was so much that he wanted to say following her confession, things that he needed her to know; but his voice wavered and he trailed off as soon as he began speaking. Those clear azure eyes, the silky strands of her dark hair that were lightly tickling his face, her tender touch on his cheek and the comfortable weight of her warm curves on top of him were all providing a far too pleasant distraction for him to be able to concentrate. How could this one, single woman drive him this crazy? He swore he could actually hear his own heartbeat reverberating throughout the room. At the moment, the rest of the galaxy could go fuck itself for all he cared. For Adrian Shepard, time stood still and no Reapers had ever even existed. There was only himself, Miranda and the bed they lay on.

His hangover all but forgotten now; his hands instinctively drifted to her hips and his fingers found their way underneath the hem of her dark shirt, lightly caressing the smooth skin he found hidden beneath the obtrusive fabric. He hoped that she'd see at least a fraction of the things he couldn't currently vocalize displayed in his unwavering gaze.

"Hmm…?" The woman trailed off questioningly with the use of her childhood nickname from his lips, though it sounded more like a satisfied purr – she adored it when he was the one to call her that, the words once only reminding her of the life that she'd left behind, now making her body tingle with arousal from his gravelly morning voice. Miranda could only smile as he simply stared up at her, a mixture of what seemed to be amazement and adoration mingling in his blue-grey orbs that were impressively expressive and easily told her everything she needed to know. Such was the nature of their relationship; neither of them were the best at conveying…feelings, but they were not blind, and they certainly were not stupid. She brought her own wall fully down and let herself lose her senses in the intoxicating sensation that was him as her eyelids lowered over topazes darkened with desire, the man beneath her making what others easily admitted as being perfection feel undeniably sexy. When she felt his warm hands go straight to her hips before beginning to travel underneath her shirt, she cooed amorously from the feel of his calloused fingertips on her skin, immensely enjoying the searing hot touches against her increasingly yearning body. Hands taking their own action, her once gentle touch against his cheek became slightly rougher, fingernails dragging down the coarse stubble before they continued down his neck before she leaned forward to cement her lips to his and once more savor his taste; her other hand stayed busy against his strong chest, playing with the malleable steel as she began to suck on his bottom lip before releasing an amused breath. "…Looks like another part of your body is beginning to wake up as well. Now, how did that come about?" Miranda ground her hips against his to further emphasize her point, looking up to him coyly as she bit her lips to restrain a laugh.

"Don't ask me -- I swear it has a mind of it's own!" Was Shepard's immediate response, followed by an involuntary moan as she ground down on him. The look of pure lust in those topaz orbs sent shivers down his spine, the feigned look of innocence on her face only served to further increase his arousal.

Hangover? What hangover?

"Three things, _Miri_..." He began, emphasizing her name as one of his hands trailed down her side, his fingers snaking just beneath the waistline of her pants as the other hand buried itself in her flowing locks. "First: you're an _insufferable _tease." He continued, before firmly bringing her head down to close what little distance remained between their lips. He couldn't remember ever wanting anything as much as he wanted her at the moment. His hands roamed underneath her shirt, frantically searching for whatever bare flesh they could find as their tongues duelled. He broke their liplock to be able to liberate her from the irritating and interfering garment. "Second: you're wearing _far_ too much clothing." Shepard wrapped his arms tightly around her slender waist as he sat up as well as he could from his position, never breaking the embrace. After relishing the feel of the skin on skin contact for a moment and nuzzling the sensitive skin of her neck with his rough, stubbly chin; he trailed a series of small kisses and nibbles upward until his lips were at her ear. "Third..." He whispered longingly -- without warning, he suddenly used his upper-body strength to his advantage as he flipped her over on her back in one, smooth motion and immediately pinned both of her wrists with one hand to the mattress in a firm grip; making sure not to be too rough. "Third..." He repeated, as a triumphant, boyish grin spread across his features due to the turn of events. "...Didn't your training include any hand-to-hand combat, _Ms. Lawson?_"

"And, whatever could those be, _Adrian_?" The brunette combined the sultry tone with a deliberately slow incline of one of her slender brows; she wasn't entirely unaffected, though as a delicious shiver ran down her spine – the commander was learning, and quickly, what turned her on, though she had always been a quick study as well. Her smirk returned from his boldness as his hand appeared to seek instant gratification while peeking through the hem of her pants, but her eyes closed while approval played across her face when he began stroking his fingers through her hair, a soft moan exiting her lips from the amazingly comfortable feeling. Ears catching his comment on how much of a tease she was, the curl of her lips only grew as she leaned her head into his touch. "_Ohh…"_She opened her eyes to look at him thoughtfully as she pinched her shirt upward before tugging a large wrinkle created in the fabric with a single finger, torturously exposing more and more of her firm stomach. "You could be right. Should I take it that you wish for me to stop, then?" Miranda concluded with a wink before he grabbed her and forced her lips to his own; his tongue easily breached the defenses of her mouth as she met him head on, tongue dancing wildly with his own as he sought to claim her; she parted their lips briefly to expel another humored breath, though it quickly turned into a moan as his hands now plunged beneath her rolled up shirt, touching; pressing; clawing whatever bit of her that he could, before insisting with his actions that her shirt was now a hindrance that could no longer be ignored. "Eager, _hmm_?" The woman accused teasingly as she obediently lifted her arms over her head, her dark locks falling in waves against her shoulders yet again once the top was removed; she shook her head slightly to jostle the messy strands before chuckling. "Are we feeling self-conscious? An easy enough dilemma to fix." She snatched his arms and planted both his hands at her hip, her intense gaze on him as she wiggled against his touch and inch by inch out of her pants. "_Strip me then. Make us even._" Clearly, her challenge was not taken lightly as his hands moved only slightly upwards to her waist, as he rose to nuzzle into the crook of her neck, the woman gasping with delight from the feel of his rough stubble before she bit her bottom lip once more, barely restraining the groan he forced out of her as his mouth nipped and sucked at the delicate skin there. "_Addy_…_mmm_…" Miranda moaned out to him as she reached for the back of his head and pushed him closer, craning her chin to the side to reveal more of the now taut skin of her neck – God, she wanted him to devour her: it all felt so good. When he finally reached her ear and began to nibble on her lobe, she couldn't control an almost violent convulsion as his warm breath combined with that seductive, hushed voice, telling her what his third point was, made her nerves scream. Before a response could even be given, the woman was suddenly on her back, wrists strung up above her head as he was looking down at her victoriously, the grin on his face insufferably smug no matter how much it simultaneously aroused; she flexed her wrists against his hold. "I have – though against less…underhanded methods. Hand-to-hand combat can be a bit tricky when my hands are restrained, Commander." Her azure orbs flashed with mischief as her legs then rose and clutched tightly against his torso, "Though you've seemed to have forgotten about my legs." She raised her hips to grate harshly against his yet again, a self-satisfied smile as she remained there for a few amazing seconds before dropping to the mattress as her foot caressed the side of his leg, "How careless."

"Ok; I admit to there being some flaws in my plan." Shepard contemplated the turn of events aloud as he stared down at the now half-naked woman who filled his senses. One of her legs still tightly clinging to his torso; the way the other's foot was touching his bare leg only added to the impure thoughts consuming his mind. Not only was she still frustratingly enough wearing her pants, but no matter how he tried to convince himself otherwise, the brunette was still in complete control of the situation despite him currently pinning her down. All it took was one raise of an eyebrow, a playful smile, her dark hair splayed around her head like a halo and a mischievous gleam in her eye and he was back under her spell. And what she was doing with her legs?

"You, Ms. Lawson...You are _trouble_." He admitted. "But you're _my _trouble." He added, a playful hint of possessiveness in his voice. Hoping to make his point, he lowered himself down to gently bite, suck and nibble on her earlobe and neck once more, never letting go of her wrists; enjoying the fact how he got to explore her this time: find out what made her tremble with desire, how to best elict a moan from her lips. He hadn't had that luxury in the engine room. He ceased his ministrations of her momentarily to pull back enough so he could look into her eyes. "I like it. Addy." He said with a smile, accentuating it with an affectionate peck to her lips before he worked his way down to her collarbone.

"Some?" Miranda questioned while rubbing her foot on the inside of his bare thigh, making teasing advances upward every few seconds. "I firmly believe that if I didn't enjoy ogling my handiwork, you would be underneath me right now, begging for more." The woman laughed when he told her that she was simply trouble. "First, I am a tease, and now I am a troublemaker; will you bring your entire arsenal of 'T' words against me tonight, _Commander_?" When he told her that she was indeed 'his trouble', she smirked from the declaration, the clear possessiveness in his statement causing heat to course through her very veins. "Yours, indeed. Though I would prefer you claiming far more from me than mere trouble; parts more…_tangible_." She hummed her pleasure as his lips worked against her earlobe, sucking and grinding the delicate skin between his teeth, presenting her neck to him as well when he descended: his slow tongue setting the nerves there alight as he treated the area as if it were sacred. A soft whine of protest left her mouth when she then felt him stop, blue eyes snapping open to identify the source of his pause only to see his own staring intently at her with a warm smile that made her mouth tingle with the sole desire to taste him again; the brunette was filled with a satisfying warmth from his confirmation and granting of her wish as he delivered a gentle peck to her eager lips. "Do you?" She smiled brightly, wanting him to know that his appreciation meant a considerable amount. "It did take quite a while to come up with something half as compromising as 'Miri'…" She trailed jokingly before her eyes closed again from his gratifying actions; eyelids fluttering as he nibbled a path to her collarbone and plunged his tongue into the small dip of her clavicle. With a light shiver, her eyes opened only slightly as she reveled in the feeling he produced within, it making her drunk with longing – his ministrations as wonderful as they were frustrating. Thighs taking his waist again, Miranda brought his form closer to hers, parting his legs with a knee before bringing her own inside them. "So, let us imagine your plan is flawless, then: you have me at your will, hands restrained while I remain powerless against your intentions…" Her topaz orbs glittered against smoky eye shadow, as she seductively writhed against his hold to enforce this fact, "What will you do with me now?"

"_Whatever. I. Want._" Shepard practically grunted each syllable as he brought his hips down and settled down firmly on top of her, only the thin fabric of her bra and those accursed pants interfering with the intoxicating skin-on-skin contact; reveling in the friction caused by her slight writhing. He brought his face as close to her as he possibly could, his lips constantly brushing against hers as he spoke. "Maybe I should keep teasing you?" He separated his torso from hers just enough to be able to run his free hand teasingly down her neck, brushing over the swell of her breast as his fingers eventually found their way down to those infuriating pants. Deftly popping open the top button, he suddenly stopped. Letting his fingertips linger for a moment on the untouched flesh just beneath the waistband, his hand soon traveled back up the path of smooth skin that it had followed down there. He lowered himself fully on top of her again, barely a hair's breadth between their lips once more. "...Keep building that appetite?" The commander hungrily whispered. "Or perhaps I should just rip these _fucking_ pants off and have my way with you. Would you mind? You do seem quite eager, and very willing." His free hand roughly pulled at the fabric covering her thigh for emphasis. "I could consider a third option as well..." He trailed off for a moment. "I won't have it said that I mistreat my..._prisoners_." He leaned back far enough so that he could see her entire face as he continued, a smirk playing across his lips. "I might consider letting go of your hands if you promise to behave." His gravelly voice taking on a mock-stern tone, the playful gleam in his lustful gaze never vanishing. "A promise to _misbehave _would probably yield the same results." The smirk turning into a massive grin; Shepard was loving this. "So, Miri...what'll it be? If I let you go, do you think captor and prisoner could work together? Do you think we could work out a compromise and..._cooperate_?"

"Sounds promising." The captured woman responded back, though hardly focusing on her words and far more on his own, the growl to them that only confirmed his yearning – a contented moan reverberating in her throat as he joined their hips together yet again. While slightly perturbing that she could not feel his skin fully against hers, the fabric of her pants was not so thick that she could not feel his growing desire rubbing against her, making her damp from her own arousal as she used every available opportunity to grind harshly against him. She captured his bottom lip when he came closer, lingering there as he spoke, tugging on it gently before giving a quick nip and letting it go. "But I assumed that was _my_role, Shepard – being the tease." Now that he was pressed so very tightly against her form, her lips had full access to his face, teeth nibbling down his chin before she deliberately drew slow designs against his skin with her hot tongue. "Let us stick to what we're good at, hm?" Raising a curious brow when he disconnected his torso with hers, Miranda sucked in harshly as his hand found its way to one of her deprived breast, savoring the feeling no matter how short while her abdomen quivered from his calloused fingertips' touch grazing over the exposed patch of skin; she grinned. "I stand corrected." She felt his hand's weight at the opening of her pants and it excited her as she met his touch, thrusting her lower body toward it as he effortlessly popped the sole button, but making her groan with impatience as he halted his actions – said groan hurriedly transforming from annoyance to pleasure as he caressed the skin so close to her waiting heat only to torturously drag his fingers back up the electric path he made, both their bodies cemented together yet again. Though his whisper brought more of the satisfying tingles, her eyes narrowed from his game, her body literally screaming now for some form of release as his rough tug of her pants made her writhe against his body in an effort to bring them down even more. "Do I seem eager? If I do, it's only because there's not much I can do with you." Her legs held his own in a vice grip, forcing him to remain where he was. "Your present _condition_ being what it is and the lost use of my hands. The next logical step would be for you to strip what remaining clothes I possess, correct?" She met his massive grin with a superior smirk, listening to his conditions and the choices she gave before tilting her head in mock thought. "_Mmm_…So I could misbehave and receive the same result? No doubt you would enjoy it as well – let's see." Her entire body began to glow, a soft blue illuminating both of their forms as they rose into the air, the brunette chuckling as her quarry's expression immediately changed from that self-assured grin to lips parted with shock; Miranda turned, revolving them slowly until she was on top, lowering them an inch to the mattress before letting them fall to gravity's pull, their bodies bouncing lightly against the bed. "_Addy_…" She whispered huskily, pulling a hand free from his now relaxed grip of her wrist as she tiptoed her fingers down his chest, "It seems you've forgotten about my biotics as well – another fatal flaw in the great Commander Shepard's plan. But now that I'm in control…" His arm was seized as she placed both his hands on her hips, pulling them down as her pants descended more and more revealing her lacy panties. "Let's do this right."

Shepard couldn't help but laugh heartily as he felt his body slowly starting to rise up from the bed as the woman beneath him began to glow with a blue light. He was quite impressed with the considerable control Miranda exhibited over her biotics as she carefully reversed their positions mid-air. A part of his brain couldn't help but wonder just what else she could do with her biotics...He loosened his grip on her wrists, they were now hers to reclaim should she choose to do so. She didn't disappoint, as her fingers were soon tiptoeing across his body; the delicious sensation of her dexterous digits once more exploring him giving him goosebumps. The sound of the nickname she'd given him moments earlier escaping her lips in a whisper made it hard for him to control himself. Fortunately, she didn't seem to want him to do so. He willingly followed her lead as she guided his hands to her hips, wiggling them slightly as they finally started removing those meddling pants in unison.

No more teasing.

The commander cupped the side of her face and pulled her lips back down to his own, his tongue tentatively darting out begging for entrance, which was instantly granted. As their tongues duelled, his hands tugged and pulled at her pants, managing to get them down almost to her knees in their current position of her straddling him. Eagerly he caressed and massaged the newly exposed flesh of her toned thighs, and grabbed a generous handful of her firm ass; something he had wanted to do for quite some time. Her small moans and whimpers against his lips sent him into a frenzy, producing a rumbling and almost primal growl. He couldn't take it anymore; being so close to her, and yet so far away. One of his hands hooked it's thumb underneath the lacy fabric of her panties, starting to peel them off as his other hand worked it's way up her back to unhook her bra.

"Uh, Commander?" A disembodied voice suddenly echoed through the room. It was Joker.

"_You've got to be fucking kidding me!_" Shepard muttered under his breath into Miranda's lips before virtually shouting his response. "_This had better be important, Joker!_"

"I know you said not to disturb you before you vanished into your cabin yesterday, but I figured you'd want to know that we'll be landing on Omega in a while." Joker informed the agitated Commander. "You said you wanted all hands on deck when we got there."

Adrian cursed to himself, why couldn't they have been in transit for at least an hour longer? Or a day?

"Was there something else, _Joker_?" Shepard failed miserably in keeping the frustration and anger away from his tone.

"Oh, I just hope I didn't interrupt anything, _Commander._" Joker clearly enjoyed pushing Shepard's buttons.

"Not at all, _Lieutenant Moreau._" Shepard's jaw clenched in frustration as he unconsciously tightened his grip on Miranda's hips.

"So you weren't playing tonsil hockey with Miranda just now?"

"Joker!" The Commander barked, he had no patience for Joker's games right now.

"All right; all right! _Sheesh_. Joker out."

Shepard released a heavy sigh as he looked into Miranda's azure orbs, the moment ruined. "_I'm going to kill him._" He whispered in a gravely serious voice.

There was no amount of words in any known language that could describe the exasperation Miranda felt from hearing Joker's voice filter into his room, a frustrated explicative escaping her once occupied lips as she buried her face into the crook of his shoulder – her aching body would kill her for this later. She placed a single hand on his chest when she felt his grip on her hips tighten from anger, delivering several small pecks on his shoulder in an effort to calm him down…And distract her mind from fulfilling its urge to take the man before, the full brunt of her biotics being the warm welcome to anyone who saw fit to disturb them. At the mention of 'tonsil hockey', however, the brunette could not help but shoot up from him, blue eyes glaring at the voice receptacle as she had to bite her lip hard to keep her voice down. "_Crippled bastard_…." When he was finally dismissed, her expression softened from the commander's burdened sigh, the look he gave fully expressing not only how sorry he was, but how pissed he was as well; continuing to rub the spot she held on his chest, she leaned her forehead against his own before smiling lightly. "And I'll whop him over the head with my wine bottle; it should be put to some use."

Despite his incredible frustration, Shepard still couldn't help but smile sincerely at that last comment. Stroking her sides with the pads of his thumbs, he tried to force a more cheery voice. "I suppose we should get up."

Nodding solemnly to his supposition, the woman couldn't help but grin as her blue orbs flashed to his lap."Or..._down_ in your case."

"Ha-ha. Very funny." Though his tone might've indicated annoyance, the story told in his eyes was one of genuine amusement and appreciation. He loved how easily they fell back into their rapport.

"You're not helping with that, you know? Lying on top of me, looking at me all sultry-like."

At his fake laughter, she smiled and dragged two fingers against his cheek, letting her lips linger against the stubbled flesh. "Ooh, now that's a fun word -- _sultry_..." Miranda repeated his adjective with just enough of a hushed tone that she knew it would affect him, "And what if I said I couldn't help it -- especially when so close to you?"

The brown-haired temptress straddling Shepard obviously knew exactly what she was capable of doing to him with the careful use of her accented voice. Why did duty have to call right now? He brought both of his hands up from her hips to affectionately tuck loose strands of her dark locks behind her ears before cupping both sides of her face in his palms. "Miri, I think it's obvious just how badly I want this...you. Hell, if I had my way we wouldn't leave this bed for at least a week. But we both know that it'll just be that much harder to get up the more we delay it. And we _will _have to get up, unfortunately." He paused to give her a brief kiss. "I'll make this up to you, Miri. I promise."

"Believe me, Addy...I know. There just never seems to be enough time for the two of us...." The woman admitted with a sigh as her eyes lingered on his chest, avoiding his gaze before she forced herself to look up at him, a fragile smile on her face. "So, hurry up and get dressed before I change my mind;" She poked his chest teasingly, "if I see you naked a second longer, I won't be held accountable for my actions." Pressing her lips hard into his chaste kiss, she tasted of him what she could, hoping it would get her through the rest of the day. "And I know you will: the trouble is waiting. There are..." Miranda dropped her hands away as she disconnected her body from his, pulling the pants bundled at her knees back up, "also things we should discuss later." She turned to reach for her shirt, not knowing why she suddenly felt so apprehensive that she had to look away to say the next words; while the physical was easy, she was still struggling with some of these foreign feelings and how to properly express them. "About us."

The sight of Miranda's apprehensiveness over a simple thing like referring to the two of them as 'us' just about made Shepard's heart melt. In no small part due to the fact that he would've been exactly the same, had their roles been reversed. "Hey..." He took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, turning her head so he could look her in the eye. For a moment he just explored her topaz eyes with a warm smile gracing his lips, not uttering a word. Soon, the smile turned slightly lopsided. "Just so we're absolutely clear: this discussion...It's not going to be of the 'it's not you, it's me' variety, is it? I'd just like to know whether I have something to look forward to throughout the day or something to dread."

Her breathing hitched as he captured her chin, not expecting the action, nor his inclination for her to look his way -- did he not understand how awkward this was for her? Feeling the undeniable searing gaze that could only belong to him, she quickly shifted her eyes away, pupils darting to some convenient distraction until she faced the inevitable: slowly; hesitantly; the woman's orbs met his own stormy-blue stare. What she saw made her chest tighten with adoration; his gaze patient as well as his smile as he rubbed his thumb soothingly against her chin...Until his smile became lopsided and utterly goofy: Miranda sighed, pushing his head away while she rolled her eyes from his question. "Idiot."

"Hey, I'm not the one that was genetically engineered to possess a genius-level intellect. So I can't help but to come across as a giant idiot in comparison. Someone's going to have to bring the stupid to the table in this here relationship, might as well be me." Shepard continued his joking, hoping to appease her.

Miranda laughed; she truly appreciated that fact about him: no matter what the situation, he was always able to improve her mood and make her feel comfortable. "So, we both agree that you'll be the amusing idiot, then? Good -- I rather like that in a man: I'm certainly lacking in the sense of humor department." Placing both hands on either side of his face, in a gesture similar to the one he held her in before, she willed herself not to look away. "I...This is definitely not a 'it's not you, it's me' discussion: you have nothing to fear...I actually hope it'll be quite the opposite. A chance to express how much...you've come to mean to me." She exhaled, as if a small burden had been lifted, even if it had been halting. "Is that all right?"

"I..." Miranda's sincere response to his earlier question caught Shepard off guard. "That's...good. I mean, you..." He had no idea how to respond. Deep down, he knew exactly how he felt and what he wanted to say, but that was something that he would have to build up to eventually. Letting his hands and lips tell the story was one thing, looking her in the eye and saying everything out loud was another. Sighing, he tried again. "It's...more than all right." She deserved a better response and he knew it wasn't fair towards her to leave her hanging like that, but for the moment he couldn't vocalize the things he wanted to. He removed one of her hands from his cheek in order to bring it to where he could press his lips against her open palm, hoping she'd understand his reason for being so flustered; he finally decided to settle for the truth. "I think that'll get me through the day." It wasn't the whole truth, but he hoped she'd settle for it for now.

It was...nice to see that her words were affecting; from the obvious stuttering and hesitation to how cute the normally unflappable soldier was when flustered, Miranda did not stop the smile that spread on her lips when he kissed her palm -- not that she was seeking vengeance: it was just a comforting feeling to know she was not the only awkward one given the situation. "Among other things most commonly involving a bed, seclusion, and a sealed door...Scratch that." She stated before smirking, "We've improvised without a bed before and I'm sure you know I'm not shy, Commander..." The brunette trailed, giving a soft peck to his check before leaning in to his ear, "Just get me that sealed door, hm?" Leaning back as if she had done nothing, she gently tapped his face twice to show he was a good sport before fully disengaging with him and the mattress, replacing her shirt as she walked to the door, one last look behind her shoulder. "Oh, and Addy: don't keep me waiting." With a touch of the panel, the door slid open as she departed with a wink and a wave of her hand, the door closing quickly behind her.

As the door closed in front of Miranda, Shepard released a breath he had been unconsciously holding in. Scooting over to the side of the bed, he sat up; the cold floor beneath his bare feet bringing him back to reality as he ran both of his hands across his stubbled face in frustration, his head suddenly pounding once more. There were plenty of things that he -- they -- needed to get done. But he knew that he'd be constantly distracted by thoughts of her throughout the day; trying to figure out a way to ensure that the two of them finally got some much needed and uninterrupted time to themselves. Her parting wink and playful tone still playing in his mind as he searched the closet for something clean to wear, made him sigh over the hours they'd have to spend apart.

This was going to be a _very_ long day.


	3. Ponos

_Ponos_

A/N: Again, thank you so much for keeping me supplied with reviews. Every new one makes my day that much better.

So I'm flying solo again in this chapter, let's see how that goes, eh? **leogrl19** is still my beta, though, so lots of love.

* * *

Wearing a simple black beater and pants, the commander stepped out of the elevator into the CIC of the Normandy, he was extremely grateful that the effect of the painkillers he'd gone to get from the medical bay before making his way up here was almost instantaneous; the throbbing in his skull had returned stronger than ever once his senses were no longer being assaulted by one Miranda Lawson.

Reality hit him in the face again as he dodged some crashed metal beams and hanging wires, walking past the galaxy map and passing consoles flashing in bright orange; making his way across the deck which until recently had been filled with various crewmen performing their daily duties.

Now they were all gone.

He felt guilty over having shared such a blissful moment with the brunette only moments earlier when most of the people whose lives he had been responsible for hadn't even been able to see their loved ones one last time. He didn't even have bodies that he could bring back to their families.

After making some hasty field repairs, the SR-2 had taken a slight detour after destroying the Collector base; Shepard, Garrus, Tali, Chakwas and Joker all wishing to visit the crash site of the original Normandy in the Amada system after receiving the coordinates only moments before departing on their suicide mission; the rest of the survivors agreeing on that it would be a good place to figuratively speaking lay their dead to rest. The empty coffins they'd released into the vast void of space whilst in orbit over the planet after a simple ceremony in the cargo hold had brought little comfort, but at least it brought _some_. Now they were making their final approach to Omega, intent on finally getting the ship patched up properly at the seedy space station while they tried to figure out what to do next.

Finally making his way to the cockpit, he addressed his pilot. "Everything all right up here, Joker?" Letting some annoyance seep into his tone over the fact that the wise-cracking man had interrupted his heated encounter with Miranda not long ago.

"Not as good as things apparently were in your cabin." Joker turned around in his chair enough to smirk at the commander.

"You know I'd fucking punch you in the face right about now if I didn't think it might actually kill you? You're lucky you're still the only one I'd let fly my ship." Shepard's threat was lighthearted.

"Tell you what, Commander; in the unlikely event that I were to ever find myself in a similar situation with a woman like _that,_ I'll give you a free pass if you want to interrupt me then. Fair?" The pilot responded.

"A free pass? If you weren't to give me a free pass in that situation, what would you do to get back at me, _Lieutenant_? Break your legs at me in a menacing fashion?"

"Yes, let's all make fun of the cripple, that's hilarious! Seriously though, Shepard; everyone else is waiting for you in the briefing room. I'll bring us in nice and smooth while you give your speech or whatever it is you're gonna do."

"Just going to let everyone know where we're at, Joker. Hopefully I won't have to pull some inspirational speech out of my ass just to get everyone working on repairs." Shepard spoke as he turned to leave.

"Later, Commander."

Shepard walked briskly back the way he came, heading through the armory before coming to a halt in front of the door to the briefing room. Taking a deep breath, he braced himself for what he knew awaited him behind that door before pushing the button and entering the room.

His heart sank as he saw how empty the room was.

Stepping through the door, he wasn't greeted by the sight of Thane skulking in one of the corners of the room. A blast from a Scion's cannon had torn right through his shields; he hadn't stood a chance after that under the heavy fire they had been under.

There was no Jacob to snap into a sharp salute, a remnant from his days in the Alliance. Shepard had seen the back of his head explode as he was hit while he desperately tried to close a pair of heavy doors to halt the swarm of Collectors heading for them.

He couldn't hear Mordin going on and on about some new theory he had in his characteristic quirky, brief sentences. The salarian had fought tooth and nail to keep Dr. Chakwas safe as he escorted her back to the Normandy, only to catch a stray blast from a Collector beam weapon just as he himself was just about to board the ship; cutting him in half.

Grunt wasn't there to size everyone else up with his gaze, barely containing his urge, his _need_ to fight. Even the massive, tank-bred krogan warrior hadn't stood a chance as he was crushed by massive amounts of falling debris after their battle with the unfinished Reaper.

Zaeed wasn't casually leaning against the wall, absentmindedly tinkering with his assault rifle that never seemed to leave his hands, adjusting the scope or checking the heat sinks. The veteran mercenary had taken a powerful blast of energy from one of the strange bug-like creatures that seemed to glow with a golden light as he was defending their position during Shepard's team's final push to destroy the station. It had blown a fist-sized hole clean through his torso.

The heavily tattooed form of Jack wasn't pacing around the room like a caged animal, the only places Shepard had ever seen her relax was the little dark hole she'd claimed as her own down in engineering and on the battlefield. The commander had watched as she had been dragged off by a massive swarm of the 'seekers' that the Collectors used; ripping off pieces of skin and flesh as she screamed in agony. He could do nothing except watch on helplessly.

Even the absence of Legion saddened Shepard. He had learned so much of the geth from Legion, he even thought he understood them now on some level; he just hoped that any chance of making peace with the synthetics wasn't lost along with Legion.

Of all the specialists he had gathered for the mission, only four remained.

Samara nodded curteously towards him as he entered the room; the Justicar had become somewhat of a mentor to Shepard during their mission, her wisdom and unique perspective on life made her almost a maternal figure of sorts on the Normandy.

He never would've thought it only a few years back, but Tali and Garrus were without a question the best friends Shepard had ever had. Mindoir had still been a fairly isolated colony when he grew up, he would've never guessed that in the future a turian and a quarian would be people he considered almost family; but how could he not view them as family after all they had been through together? Being reminded again that they were both alive and well in spite of everything as they stood in front of him brought the commander much joy.

Lastly, his eyes met the topaz gaze of the woman who not long ago had been straddling his naked form. She flashed a brief smile at him, sending a warm tingle down his spine. If the commander had been a religious man, he'd thank every single deity he could think of for letting him find something as wonderful as what the two of them shared amidst all the gloom, darkness and despair that marked his life. There were a million different things he wanted to say to her, things he wanted to...do; but that would have to wait for now. He needed to build up the courage first to say what he wanted to, and there were more pressing concerns, like the battered and bruised ship that had become his home.

"I'm glad you could all make it, I know how busy you are..." The commander smiled. "Seriously though, I thought everyone should just know where we're at. Here's the deal: I...don't know what to do next to be honest." He sighed. "All I know is that I want to deliver the news in person to the families of everyone that didn't make it. Beyond that, and going to talk to Captain..._Councilman_ Anderson about all this, I really don't know what to do. I'll do everything I can to convince the Council to prepare for the Reapers, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Other than that, there's little we can do for now except try to keep ourselves busy with other missions; there's plenty of shit going on in the galaxy even without the Reapers. There's no grand 'saving the galaxy' missions on the horizon that I can offer you, but I hope you all want to remain a part of this crew, this..._family_ regardless."

"You know I'm not going anywhere, Shepard. Who'd be here to help you get laid if I left?" Garrus was the first to reply with a chuckle.

"This is my _home_ now, Shepard. There is nowhere else for me to go, and I wouldn't _want_ to be anywhere else." The tone in Tali's slightly distorted voice left no room for doubt over the young quarian's feelings on the matter.

Miranda met Shepard's gaze once more. "As you know, I'm currently lacking employment and I have nothing to go back to. What better use of my time then to help you get this ship back together, Shepard? Surely, you know that you would have a difficult, if not close to impossible time, without me." The corner of the brunette's lips curled into a faint smirk. "That, and you need someone to keep those boots of yours firmly on the ground. We can't let saving the galaxy for a second time go to your head, now can we?"

Lastly, the Justicar spoke. "Shepard, no matter how good of a friend you have become, you knew that I would leave once my oath had been fulfilled; the Code demands it. I will return to fight alongside you against the Reapers should you call, but I must leave for now."

"No, I understand. Which brings me to our current 'mission': we need to get the Normandy back into shape. First off: I was hoping if you could stay long enough to help Miranda clear out the worst of the debris, Samara. Figured it would be easier to do with biotics, especially yours." Shepard explained.

"Of course, my friend. It's the least I can do."

The commander smiled. "Good. As for the rest of you, Garrus: you probably have some contacts left here on Omega? If not contacts, then you at least know this station better than any of us. We're going to need food, materials for the repairs, heat sinks...I'll have EDI make up a full list on a datapad before you go. Oh, and Dr. Chakwas is coming with you, she wants to restock on medical supplies."

"I'll see what I can do, Shepard." Garrus nodded.

"Tali, before you can start tinkering with the rest of the ship, I need you to help EDI with something. It should come as no surprise to any of you that the Illusive Man has had bugs, cameras, microphones and tracking devices installed all over the ship when it was built; so what I need you to do is work your way through the entire ship and disable every single one of them. EDI can't do anything else except point out where to find them, since they apparently need to be disabled manually. Miranda can join you once she's gotten the worst of the debris cleared with Samara; I want it done as fast as possible, getting them all taken care of today would be ideal."

"Will do, Shepard." The mechanist seemed eager to get to work.

The commander crossed his arms. "As for myself, I'll be crawling through the service shafts fixing what little I can and providing help to the rest of you if you need any, just call me on the comms. Joker will be constantly running diagnostics to make sure whatever we fix is actually fixed and not worse. The real repairs won't start until we get those materials, so tomorrow at the earliest; let's get off to a good start though and maybe we'll be off this station in a week or so, hm? You all know what to do and we'll be docking at any minute now, so...dismissed."

The others filed out of the room, but Miranda stayed rooted to the spot and waited for the door to close, leaving her alone in the room with Shepard.

"How are you feeling?"

"You mean my head? It's fine." The commander scratched his neck.

"That's good. How are you otherwise, hm? Have you..._calmed down_ from earlier, _Commander?_" The brunette raised an eyebrow and smirked.

Shepard chuckled at the reminder of their earlier...encounter; he could still vividly recall every little detail. "It wasn't easy, but yes, I have calmed down, _Ms. Lawson_."

They shared a moment of silence, simply looking at each other with smiles gracing their lips.

"Listen..." Shepard was the first to break the silence. "I was thinking...would you like to maybe join me for dinner later? You know, once we've gotten a good day's work in. Nothing fancy, just...a chance to unwind a little."

Miranda's smile broadened. "I'd like that. So...it's a date then?"

"I suppose it is. Will you bring the wine?"

The woman laughed. "If you promise to actually drink it this time around."

"I'll try." Shepard wasn't all too keen on alcohol at the moment, but he reckoned he'd be over that by the evening.

"So where are you taking me, Shepard?"

The man hadn't really thought it through. He racked his brain for a while, trying to think of an answer. Then it hit him.

"I'm taking you to the starboard observatory."

"The starboard observatory?" Miranda sounded surprised.

"Yup."

The woman was intrigued over what he had planned. "Okay then." She ran a slender finger slowly across his chest, high enough to make sure to touch the skin revealed by his shirt. "See you later, _Commander._" With that, she walked out of the room with a slightly exaggerated sway in her hips; making sure to give him a mischievous wink before the door closed.

_"Oh, come on! That fucking wink...not even fair, Miri." _The commander's inner voice spoke up.

Shepard chuckled to himself before reaching up to his ear to activate his comms. "Joker?"

"What's up, Commander?"

"Once Garrus and Chakwas get back for the day, I want this ship to be what's up. Take us out of the station for the night, we can come back in the morning to resume our repairs."

"Uh...is there a reason for this, Commander?"

"Yes, there is. And no, I'm not telling you what it is."

"You're being really weird, Commander but ok. Is there somewhere specific that you want us to go for the night?"

"Give me a nice view, Joker."


	4. Anteros

_Anteros_

A/N: You didn't see that one coming, did ya? I updated, and it's a long one! Again, thanks for all the reviews! You guys rock.

So I have had lots of help once more with this chapter, **leogrl19 **is again responsible for probably 50% of this so big props to her.

You should be prepared for some vigorous brushing of your teeth after reading this chapter, it's quite sweet. I'd like to think that we've still managed to keep it well within the realm of realism and in character. You have been warned. I should also note that I'll be conveniently ignoring the fact that Miranda lets that one four-letter word kinda slip once during the game.

Prepare to be heartwarmed.

* * *

Shepard had no idea why he felt so nervous as he sat on the floor of the starboard observatory, waiting for Miranda. They were just going to unwind a little after the day over a glass of wine and some dinner. So why were his palms sweaty?

_"Maybe it's because this is technically your first date with her." _His inner voice reminded him.

Miranda, seeing the commander as soon as she entered the observatory, smiled; the same occurrence seeming to happen more and more often when in his presence: the man completely shifted her mood and mindset. Even after all the death; all the destruction and repairs that still awaited them, this dinner he suggested, no matter how simple, somehow made their dreary circumstances a bit brighter.

Shepard didn't even try to contain the smile spreading across his face as the brunette entered the room, smiling herself. Running an appreciative glance over her form as she walked over to him, he wondered how she could look so positively radiant in even the most simple of attires. The form fitting white shirt and grey and black uniform pants were certainly nothing too special; especially considering the eye-catching, skin-tight uniform that she'd worn for most of the time they'd known each other; but the woman wearing them was most definitely _very_ special.

"Well, hello, Commander. Don't you look strapping?" In all truth, he was still in the same black beater and pants he had been in all day while fixing things on the ship, but there was something about this gruffer look when he was usually so well kept that made Miranda want to get...closer -- not that their earlier heated session wasn't still ravaging her mind. "I brought the wine." She lifted the bottle to emphasize the fact. "Again -- I'll force it down your throat, if I have to, Shepard." The threat was lighthearted as she placed it down and sat across from him, before her smile and curiosity grew. "What's with that look?"

"Hey! Oh it's nothing...it's just..." He wasn't used to complimenting women, certainly not with sincerity and without ulteriour motives. Being utterly consumed in his military career for over a decade left little time for anything other than decidedly unromantic moments of blowing off steam every now and then with women whose names he no longer even remembered. "You look...You look beautiful." He concluded his with a slightly nervous chuckle.

"What, in this old thing?" She waved her hands to show off her outfit. "You're easy to please, aren't you?" Deciding to stop teasing him after hearing his nervous chuckle, she touched her pointer and middle fingers to her lips before leaning over and pressing the digits to his cheek. "But thank you. A girl always wants to hear she's beautiful."

Shepard smiled at her little gesture. "Before you ask: I do indeed have a reason as to why we're sitting on a blanket on the floor instead of the benches or chairs. If I tell you, will you promise not to laugh?"

The brunette eyed him inquisitively. "Why do you think I would laugh? This isn't some grand romantic gesture you've had planned for some time to have a dinner in view of the stars," She licked her lips as she tried to restrain a grin, "filled with cheesy lines of adoration over glasses of wine, right?"

"Well, I don't know if I've planned this for a long time, but...there was this girl back on Mindoir: Sophie. She...I had a huge crush on her. The most beautiful girl in school, how could I not be smitten with her? Sandy brown hair, blue eyes like yours, a smile that lit up the room..." Shepard trailed off as he reminisced, caught up in the memory. "Anyway, it took me over a year to work up the courage to actually do anything about it. I walked up to her one day after class, sweating bullets, and basically just blurted out if she'd like to go out on a date with me. My buddies were close by whistling, hooting and hollering as I walked up to her; trying to embarrass me, which didn't really help matters. But she said yes." He smiled brightly. "Problem was, I had no idea what to do on a date; where to take her. I had a couple of days until then, so I basically did some research. Watched a bunch of vids on the extranet, trying to get some ideas..."

"So, you like them brown haired and blue eyed, hm? With a smile that lights rooms?" Miranda interrogated when he trailed off, giving a bright smile of her own. "Good to know...." As the man continued, her face could not help but transition between several various emotions: amusement at picturing the man that sat before her, ruggedly handsome and accomplished, a teenage boy, 'sweating bullets' over asking a girl out with friends embarrassing him; happy from his smile when he revealed that she had accepted his offer, and even impressed by the history that she was quickly gathering led to the very set-up that laid out before her. It was certainly one thing to set up an intimate dinner for two on a whim, but a whole other to do so to prove a sentimental point.

The commander absentmindedly scratched his chin. "So, once the day finally came, I picked her up at her house and we walked over to this grassy hill on the outskirts of town. I had decided to take her on a _picnic._" Shepard noticed the grin slowly spreading across Miranda's lips. "Cheesy, I know. We spread out a blanket on the top of the hill, under the starry sky and spent the evening talking about...I don't remember _what _we talked about, actually. Some trivial things, no doubt; favorite vids, what teacher we hated the most...stuff like that." He motioned towards the rations on the floor between them. "We did have slightly better food that day. While I wasn't much of a cook, I managed to get my mom to cook something up to take with me. I lied, of course, and told Sophie that I'd cooked it myself. I don't think she really believed me." He started fiddling with the edge of the blanket. "We had a great time...she kissed me when I walked her back home. We even made plans for our next date. I was on top of the world...but we never got to have that second date. The batarians...they came three days later. She didn't make it." He gazed off into the vast void in front of them for a moment, before turning back to face Miranda. "Anyway, that moment always stuck with me as something special: my first date. Since this is technically _our _first date, I guess... I wanted this to be special, as well. I can't give you that grassy hill or a good meal right now, but at least I can give you a good view of the stars."

Miranda opted to keep her silence and continue to let her expressions do the talking as his nostalgic story unfolded, the sudden shift from everything going so perfectly on his first date, to the girl's tragic death was...unfortunate -- even more so when she saw him glance away from her to look at the stars: it was obvious this wound could still sting when picked at. When the commander did turn back to her, she nodded when he moved on, her face a battle between brows knitted with quiet pity and an appreciative smile from the obvious implications that he gave in claiming this their first date. As soon as the last of his words left his mouth, the brunette was on her knees as she side-stepped the various articles of food on the blanket, maneuvering her way behind him and draping her arms around his form. Again, she did not want to ruin the moment with speech, but just wished for him to pick whatever comfort he could find in her unplanned action -- to express gratitude for both the story and their meaningful dinner; her lips pressed softly against the stubble of his cheek, lingering there for a few moments as her grasp on him tightened. "This...is perfect. Thank you, Addy."

"You don't need to thank me, Miri. Just you being here is enough...although hugs and kisses are definitely a nice bonus." Shepard placed an appreciative hand on top of the arms around him. He leaned back into her embrace.

"I'm sure." She confirmed when he told her that her affectionate gestures were welcome. "Though, if this is indeed our first date, I believe you'll only being getting pecks on the cheek tonight, mister; we will have to see by the end if I deem you worthy of anything more." Miranda teased, enjoying the feeling of his warm body pressing into her own, his hand waking her arm's skin.

"You do seem to be developing a habit of embracing me from behind. At least I don't have to be embarrassed over my state of undress this time." He turned his head around as much as he could to look at her, smiling. "So...you hungry or what? I bet at least one of these bars contains something edible."

From his comment on her growing penchant on embracing him, the woman's expression turned thoughtful: hugging the man -- being close to him, for that matter -- was nowhere near undesirable...And while still a bit awkward to be so touchy feely, it made her smile that it was not so much a requirement in her mind, but an instinct to want to feel him near.

"How about this?" She began, looking down at the array of odd foods displayed before her, "You'll test everything out before we eat, and then, if you don't die of course: I'll start. Think of it as..." Her blue orbs rolled up in feigned thought, "another one of those _wonderful_ suicide missions, Commander."

Shepard was well aware that Miranda meant no harm by that last comment, both from coming to know her as a person and from her tone which was laced with sarcasm. Still, being inadvertently reminded once more of the fact that he had recently lost most of his crew put a damper on his mood and caused his smile to vanish and body to stiffen slightly. She had never been very close with any of the ones lost -- not to his knowledge at least -- so he couldn't exactly blame her for finding it easier than him to deal with the grief. He was determined not to let the moment be ruined by this, though and hoped she hadn't noticed his reaction to her words.

Feeling the man in her hold suddenly stiffen, no matter how slight, Miranda paused, her mind automatically thumbing through all the things she could have said to make his body language react so negatively. Quickly, she decided it had to be her suicide comment, and she immediately wanted to slap herself for the joke that was obviously poor in taste – not that she thought any of the crew dying was a laughing matter: Jacob's death, considering their past history, was surprisingly difficult for her, as well as many of the others. It was just a matter of course: never get too close; never let feelings get in the way of a mission; get the job done and done right, hopefully with acceptable losses – Shepard, however, she found out, was not so black and white concerning these things. It was not surprising, really: growing up the way he did, his past, and the way he interacted with everyone, becoming closer with them until friendships were inevitably born; while she viewed such relationships as unnecessary if not potentially dangerous, he seemed to make it a goal to know everyone personally. Not that she was complaining either…If he wasn't the man he was, going above and beyond what was required; they certainly wouldn't be where they were now. Burying her chin into the crook of his neck, Miranda's embrace tightened once more as she whispered a soft apology, truly remorseful that she had an ill effect on his mood before deciding to let it go as he seemed to wish to forget it and move on as well.

Not that he'd been angry with her over that earlier comment or thought she should apologize, but as Miranda tightened her grip around him and whispered a soft apology into his ear, Shepard couldn't help the warm tingle traveling down his spine; truly touched that she _wanted _to apologize, that she cared. Pushing his grief aside, he focused instead on the woman holding him once more and her suggestion. Rummaging through the various rations he had scraped up from the kitchen, he picked up a bar at random. "Okay, let's see what we have here..." He opened the wrapping to reveal the brownish-colored contents. He took a bite. "Hmm...beef-like. Might actually be quite decent with the wine. Want some?" He held the bar over his shoulder, offering it to his companion. "I'll even feed you, if you want. Would that earn me some points, since I apparently still need to be deemed worthy?"

The woman watched with a slender brow inclined as he took a healthy chomp of the brown ration bar, chuckling at his comment describing its taste; it was official: the man was fearless. When he offered her the bar behind his shoulder, she grinned from his attempt to appease her. "It might…." Feeling indulgent, she clasped her teeth around the rectangular food item and snatched it away from his hand while simultaneously ripping off the half drawn wrapper with hers; releasing herself from his body and maneuvering to his side before dropping backward with a soft plop into his lap, the brunette waggled her eyebrows in a provocative, yet challenging manner.

As she playfully ripped the bar of beef-like substance from his hand and moved around to his side only to plop her upper body down onto his lap and look up at him with a playful smile and wiggling eyebrows, Shepard didn't have to fake the smile spreading across his face. It was remarkable how she could make him feel better with such a simple action. "So...I take it that you'll be taking me up on my offer of feeding you? I'm afraid I don't have any grapes but..." He reached over to grab something else from the collection of rations, finally picking up a circular can and opening the lid. "Ah, canned vat-grown peaches. You happy with that..._meat stick_ or do you want me to feed you some of these instead?" He finished, now wiggling his own eyebrows at her.

While he picked up a can and pried open the lid, claiming that it was peaches, she let out a eager "_Mmmm_", though not before delivering a playful slap to his chest when he named the food in her mouth a 'meat stick' and laughing when he wiggled his eyebrows at her as well; feeling particularly silly when in his presence as he only encouraged their fun, she wiggled hers right back sporadically, as if they were communicating in some new brow language only to laugh again.

In a million years, Shepard never would've guessed that the same woman he'd met all those months ago that insisted on keeping things professional and had even told him from the get-go that she didn't want a friend as he attempted to exchange pleasantries would now be laying in his lap, laughing with him as they communicated in some strange brow language that they'd invented on the spot. He loved her laugh. After a few moments of partaking in their utter silliness, he resumed his mission. "My fair lady, would thee like to sample the only, and thus finest wine on the Normandy?" He took the liberty of already reaching for the bottle and glasses as he spoke. "Or ist thine craving for vat-grown peaches greater, perchance?"

White teeth chomping down on the ration bar with a bit more force this time, Miranda severed its connection to her mouth as it fell to her own lap before chewing the small piece she had obtained and eventually swallowing it, wincing when she finished.

"Those sentences were about as terrible as that bar, Shepard – though I will you give you points for the effort." She smiled. "'Twas a very earnest attempt. You are _very _cute when trying to impress me." Her blue eyes fell on his lips before glancing away to the can of fruit he had exchanged for her bottle of wine and two glasses, the curl of her lips growing as she sat up and reached for it. "The wine sounds nice, but I'm more interested in your earlier offer…" She trailed as her middle finger and thumb disappeared into the container before pulling out a juicy slice, "And I've always been fond of peaches; their taste, especially. Combined with yours, however…" She trailed mischievously, her smile fully converted into a smirk; the brunette leaned toward him before extending her fingers to his lips, dragging the moist fruit against the already tempting puffs of flesh before leaning in. Tongue slowly trailing the entire outline of his top lip until she was satisfied, she then focused on the lower portion, giving it the same consideration as she sucked on it before finally gently nipping the firm flesh; unhurriedly pulling away.

"Not bad;" She purred, tone flirtatiously low, "I approve…Though, I'm curious now. Do you like peaches as well, _Commander_?" Miranda brought the fruit wedge to her own lips, tasting its juices and sucking the length of it before sticking it into her mouth, raising an interested brow at him while she chewed with a come-hither smile.

Shepard could practically see the gears turning in her head as Miranda sat up from his lap to reach into the jar of peaches he'd set back down on the blanket, her expression one of mischief as she brought the juicy slice she'd produced up to his lips. Opening his mouth to accept the succulent fruit, he was slightly confused but obeyed nonetheless as she shook her head to signal he wasn't supposed to eat it. Even more confused was he as she ran the slice across his lips. Confusion turned into pure desire and arousal as she closed the distance between them and agonizingly slowly ran her tongue across his upper lip before repeating the process with it's lower twin.

_"Ever the tease." _Shepard thought to himself.

As she pulled away, he had to consciously suppress a groan of disapproval. The tone of her voice and the almost lewd way she caressed the fruit in her fingers with her mouth had every single hair on the back of his neck standing up. He frantically tried to think of some witty comeback to her question, or some way to turn the tables and tease her as much as she was teasing him.

_"Ah, fuck it."_

He cupped the side of her face and simply kissed her. The sweet juices of the fruit mingling with her own taste as their tongues moved in harmony. Every single soft moan from earlier, the way her body had felt writhing underneath him, her hips grinding down on his; they all came back to him at this moment. His other hand moved down to grab her by the hip, pulling her even closer. He refused to break the kiss until he was absolutely sure that every single ounce of his unbridled desire for her and a million other things he couldn't think of at the moment had been translated by his lips. After a small eternity, he pulled away far enough to lean his forehead against hers, eyes still closed. "_Peaches...I love peaches._" He answered her question in a barely audible, breathless whisper.

"Curiosity sated, then." Miranda responded, chuckling from his proclamation of loving peaches after their antics, though she couldn't deny the wonderful electricity that seemed to course through her very veins when he touched her; claimed her as he did – and his breathless voice? It was enough to drive her wild with passion as her mind seriously contemplated taking him then and there, their previous...engagement being interrupted as it was. But she restrained herself. The man had gone through the trouble of planning their evening out, and she would not waste it – that, and while maddening, the wait made what would be inevitable between them far more gratifying; tease or no, when the commander was forced to the very limit of his otherwise obdurate self-control, that was when their lovemaking was absolutely mind-blowing judging from their time in the engine room. Exhaling softly to clear her lust addled mind as she planted a small peck on his forehead, the woman leaned back slightly to grab one of the glasses he had set near.

"But now that we've settled that, wine was next, correct?" She grinned. "I'm personally tempted to make a toast to you finally drinking it."

Shepard had to fight hard to contain his confusion and frustration as the dark-haired woman pulled away from their kiss seemingly unaffected, asking something about the wine. Didn't she want this -- him _--_ as much as he did her? Did he do something wrong? He almost felt rejected as his mind could think of little else but his intense craving for her touch; what little rational thought he had left in him did understand from her playful grin and soft peck on his forehead that he most certainly wasn't being rejected. Nonetheless, he still had to take several deep breaths to calm himself, wresting control away from the most primal aspects of his personality. As he calmed down, he remembered that there were still...things that he wanted, needed to get off his chest before giving in to his lust. Judging from what little talking they had done in the morning, there were things that Miranda wanted to say to him, as well.

She could sense the frustrations and confusions he felt, though he tried to mask them, and was all the more tempted to simply give into temptation to appease both of their desires, but resisted once more; if only because his plans of a romantic dinner were worth it. Their imminent discussion gave her pause as well: how long could they mask their true feelings by giving into only the physical -- no true relationship could be formed that way, and her fears on what was and what could be...She couldn't let herself stop something that could be amazing -- was amazing -- because she could not anticipate the future of it. Damn it all if she didn't hate risks...

Remembering now just how hesitant she had been in the morning to even look at him as she referred to the two of them as 'us' and the almost vulnerable look in her eyes afterwards as he gently forced her to look at him, made Shepard's heart swell as he thought of all the feelings he had seen displayed in her gaze at that moment, all the emotions hidden in her wavering voice. Beneath all the intense sexual desire, there was something far more potent between them, and they both deserved to hear the other express just what that was before they gave in to their passion. Now calm and relatively collected once more, the commander finally felt his own lips curling into a smile looking at the brunette's twinkling eyes as she dangled the empty glass in front of him, inviting him to fill it. Still smiling, he wordlessly reached for the bottle, opening it with relative ease and filling her glass with the dark red liquid before repeating the process with his own glass. Setting the bottle aside, he raised his glass with a lopsided grin now plastered on his face.

"A toast, then. Here's to us finally getting around to drinking this wine, and to peaches, meat sticks and to you thinking I'm 'cute'..." He let his lopsided grin turn into a warm smile of affection as he reached to take her hand in his, staring deep into her ocean-colored orbs. "Here's to us."

Unfocused azure eyes staring at her glass now filled with wine, Miranda swished the liquid lightly in thought until the he set the bottle down and began speaking; glancing up quickly to see his lopsided grin, again she fell into his trap as her smile grew as she raised her glass. "Here, here." About to bring the wine to her lips, the woman's entire body froze as Shepard claimed her hand, his gaze powerful and intense as he would not let her go. Eyes shifting back and forth between his own blue-grey orbs as she dissected every single emotion and inclination she could find, Miranda found herself becoming short of breath yet again from the intensity of the moment, though that seemed to be a normal occurrence when around this man.

Finally releasing her caught breath, her mind convinced her to smile back, one rivaling his own affection as she used her thumb to caress his skin; she wanted to see how serious he wished to make this. "_Us_, hm?"

As Shepard felt Miranda's thumb run across his hand, he almost shivered with the sensation it caused when combined with the way she looked at him; those azure eyes reflecting back at him every bit of the emotion he hoped she could see in his own gaze. "Yeah...us." He'd hoped to sound more confident. "I mean...this, us? It's..." He trailed off, and couldn't help but chuckle at how awkward he was suddenly being. He took a nervous sip of the wine. "Wine's good."

_"Wine's good?!?" _Shepard's inner voice did _not _approve of how he was handling this conversation.

"This...what's between us? It feels...right." He resumed speaking. "It scares the crap out of me sometimes, too; but I'd say it's a good kind of fear. If that makes any sense?"

Miranda sensed where he was going with his careful statements and decided to throw him a lifeline when he posed a question; rhetorical or not. "It is. A good kind of fear." One of her hands cupped his face gently, eyes still glued to his own; mesmerized. "You scare me, Adrian -- these _things_ you make me feel...But God," She scoffed incredulously, "I can't stop. I can't..."

Unable to look her in the eye anymore, Shepard stared intently at the burgundy liquid in his glass as he slightly swirled it around.

The woman was grateful for his averted gaze as she cut herself off, unsure of the weight her words would carry: he had dashed all her achievements in discipline and all she could do was sigh from his power. "It scares me."

The man felt relieved that he wasn't the only one scared shitless by what had grown between the two of them. Bringing forth his fear hadn't been his primary goal, however. "I'm comfortable around you, you know? I don't feel like I _have_ to be Commander Shepard, savior of the galaxy. Even when I'm sometimes a nervous wreck around you, I still feel comfortable in some way."

The man next to her admitting that she made him feel comfortable; natural, even, made Miranda's chest tighten and her breathing a bit harder then it was a few moments before. How could she possibly explain that he made her feel the same? That, she was starting to believe that even if he saw her at her most flawed -- her most vulnerable -- that he would still accept her even when she would not? "Commander..." Her gaze fell as she shook her head with a soft smile, "Shepard...When you look at me;" Her topaz orbs became bold as she willed them to capture his face again, "what do you see?"

Shepard's heart was racing in a manner he had never before experienced outside of battle, except now it wasn't due to himself or others being in mortal danger; it was due to the implications that Miranda's question carried. He was determined to get through what he was about to say without faltering, without hesitation; he didn't want there to be any way for her to doubt the truth in his words. He took a deep breath, readying himself for what he was about to share with her. Setting his glass down on the floor, he grasped her hand still cupping his cheek with both of his own and began speaking.

When he grasped the hand that cradled his face with both of his, Miranda felt her heart beat against the restraint of her ribcage almost painfully as its pulse accelerated, the look in his eyes instantly indicating that whatever he was about to say was to be earth-shattering, her world surely to be changed from it afterward. Her question was not simple despite the forward way she delivered it, and she did not regret her decision: this was to be his last test before she would fully let go – before she could willingly tell him what she could no longer successfully veil; when he caressed her very core, giving of himself absolutely everything she could ever need.

"When I...look at you, I see Miranda Lawson: an incredibly beautiful, intelligent, loyal, strong-willed and stubborn woman. Someone who should be way out of my league. I see the most competent and quite simply the _best _damn XO any captain could ask for. I see someone who has not only saved my life on several occasions, but also quite literally brought me back from the dead; gave me a second chance. I see a woman who anyone in the galaxy would be lucky to have as their sister." He smiled as he mentioned the fierce protectiveness and unconditional love she held for her little sister. "I see someone who I trust _implicitly._ I see someone that was brave enough to leave everything she knew behind _twice_ in order to do what was right. The first time to do what was right for herself; the second time to do what was right for others. I see someone who cares deeply for her friends, even after they betray her trust."

He never allowed his stormy-blue eyes to look away from her topaz counterparts. "When I look at you, I dare hope and wish for things I never thought I'd have. In your face, I see someone who...was there for me when I needed you the most. _That's something that I'll....never forget_." He silently cursed his voice as it cracked, failing him. He couldn't help the raw emotion welling up in his throat as he thought of just how much it meant to him that she had been there to comfort him when he had been at his lowest point. He felt his eyes slightly moisten, but he forced himself to hold her gaze as he regained his composure.

"When I look at you, I see what I...what I want from the future. Ever since I joined the Alliance all those years ago, I've always had something I was willing to die for: my squad, humanity, every single life in the galaxy...Not too long ago, I would've gladly given my life to stop the Reapers; but when I look at you, I now see a reason to _live_."

Adrian took one last, deep breath. "I don't know what the future holds. For all I know, the Reapers could be here tomorrow and we could be dead. If that were to happen, I don't want to die without making sure that you know exactly how I..." He raised one, trembling hand up to tuck a stray strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear. "When I look at you, Miri...I see the woman I love."

His answer…was far more than Miranda could've hoped for. The man laid out everything she was to him: attractive, intelligent, competent, protective, loyal, caring, and supportive; a prospect at a brighter future – their future: together. Out of everything, all the beautiful things he listed to her with such unguarded emotion – that made the treacherous crack in her habitually impeccable façade: he presented the option that she would not longer have to be alone, that he could be let in to care for her when she had known nothing else but complete self-reliance. The brunette could not stop the water making its push behind her eyes, trying to blink the bothersome tears away as her mind began to panic at this breach of her defenses, the same intense fear she had told him of earlier striking her so forcefully that it made her speechless. Had she been lonely? Was it so unbearable going on as she did? It was something her head wished to deny, not wanting to think of such painful things. It did not help matters when he gently brushed away a rebellious lock of hair behind her ear with trembling digits, his cloudy-blue orbs so focused on her own that she could swear she could feel every moment that passed between them, reach out and capture them to keep for her own.

And then he did it. The man beside her, laid bare before her gaze, admitted love – admitted falling to such a risky fixation…for her, in such a straightforward fashion that it scared her all the more. "Adrian…" Miranda felt the tears fall, hot trails cascading down her cheeks as she knew she could not handle this moment – could not handle feeling so helplessly swept up by things beyond her understanding: not having even a semblance of control; her heart tasted his word 'love', and, God help her, it approved – each pulse one of its own state of felicity. Pushing out an absolutely ragged breath full of uncertainty and unease, her unoccupied hand went to her face, fingers fretfully pushing at her lips as her eyes raced back and forth to blurry objects as she tried to make sense, the fact that she could not speak frightening her all the more.

Adrian couldn't stand to see the woman in front of him cry, and knowing he had caused her tears made it even worse. He was also terrified of the possibility that his confession would go unanswered. Had he said too much, too soon? Maybe she didn't feel the same? He brought his other hand up to gently wipe away the trails of moisture under her eyes with the pad of his thumb, hoping to soothe her as her eyes seemed hell-bent on looking anywhere but at him. She looked...scared.

"It's okay...there's just you and me in here, Miri. You know you can trust me. You're...safe." Shepard had no idea what he should say to comfort her, so he just said what felt right; hoping that even if his words ended up being the wrong ones, the genuine affection behind them would provide the brunette with some comfort. "I...please just say _something, _Miri. You don't have to say it back if you don't...Whatever it is, let me help you. I'm sorry if I...said too much, I just..." His heart broke as he felt the hand he held tremble in his grasp. "You don't have to be afraid. You can let go, and I'll be there for you."

When the woman felt his fingers under her eyes, capturing the tears she hated herself for not being able to stop, Miranda flinched: not because of his touch, but from how damn fragile and vulnerable she now felt. For this man to strip her of everything -- everything -- and so entirely turn her world upside down with a mere word...His authority was so absolute. Completely shaken, her lips parted only to utter nothing, until she let out a groan laced with frustration, though it sounded like a strangled cry. Her body was raging a full out war against itself: her heart screamed blind assurances that it was not him that made her this way, his confession not misplaced; her mind felt like the ground had been slipped right from underneath her feet and was now flailing desperately for any source of equilibrium and control. Her heart won out.

While her head was still spinning, the brunette ignored its fears and clasped his torso tightly, as if she would perish if she were to lose hold of him; sniffing repeatedly, the words he uttered that were so similar to the ones she used to convince him only a night ago. Miranda clutched onto him tightly, wanting -- needing to feel him near, to accept the security he gave and not perceive it only as a failing.

"I...I need it -- this comfort only you can give; your...love." The word was not bitter but simply factual: her brows rutted deeply. "But it's not that simple; I can't not be afraid; I can't wholly loose myself from this fear. I...Adrian: I've never needed this before, a dependable necessity to cling to: I'm my dependent -- _I'm_ the one I can count on;" The words came tumbling out now, the dam of her mouth and eyes now broken, tears flowing freely now, "If I let go -- if I allow myself to depend on you and convince myself to let you in, what happens if I lose you? How can I possibly feel so much for someone who could very easily die at any given moment -- it's terrifying, but I..." Her jumble of broken sentences and fierce questions finally faltered; slowly, she peeled herself away from his form, watery orbs unsure as they rose to connect to his, willing herself to take whatever she would find there, "love you." It was a whisper before hand balled into a fist, bunching the fabric of his undershirt inside it angrily while her eyelids shut tightly, forcing more of the warm tears down her cheeks. "_Dammit..._."

'I love you.'

Adrian wanted to laugh, cry, jump around and pump his fists in jubilation: Miranda Lawson _loved _him. More pressing, however, was the fact that the woman still sounded and looked so terrified, so fragile as her shimmering eyes found his. She seemed almost angry with herself over the tears she was unable to keep from running down her cheeks, but made no move to break away from his embrace even as she swore in frustration; her arms still tight around his form. "Miri..." He leaned in closer, pecking both of her closed eyelids softly before ever so slightly brushing his lips against hers in a brief, chaste kiss. "I love you." He repeated in a whisper as he pulled back from her lips.

His mind was a mess of emotions; what else could he say? What more could he do other than be there for her as he was now? Surely she knew that he would never judge her or think less of her because of her feelings?

A faint sigh of longing left Miranda's lips the very second he disengaged from them, the kiss there too short; too hurried -- and when he said those three impossibly significant words, her heart beat joyfully to each one as her mind slowly came to terms to it: yes...Yes; she loved this man. The savior; the soldier; the survivor -- she loved every piece, broken or otherwise. With added clarity, and his arms around her, murmured voice soothing her very essence, more insight was gained: the woman wasn't the only one who struggled. Shepard had been through his own hells, his own battles; pushed on when everyone around him had died, needing to rely on himself to get through -- how could she ever assume he could not empathize with her plight? If there was anyone in this galaxy at all who Miranda felt would fight their absolute hardest to preserve what had grown between the two of them; surely, it had to be this man. The brunette relaxed her grip of his top, the fabric falling into looser folds as her hand then repositioned itself to lay on top of his heart, feeling the strong pulses beneath his chest and a comfort like no other when they accelerated because of her touch -- for _her_: this amazing man without rival needed _her_.

Shepard searched for the right words. "I...misspoke earlier. I'd never want to...force you to feel or to _not_ feel something. What I meant was: it's okay to be afraid; I am, too. I just want you to know that you'll _never_ have to hide your emotions from me. I'll _never _think any less of you, no matter how much you cry, yell, laugh...anything. I don't think I know a stronger person than you, Miri; no amount of tears will ever change that. I need you, too..." He tucked the same strand of hair from earlier back behind her ear; it had come loose once more. "We can be afraid together." He let a few moments of silence pass before letting out a humorless chuckle. "I can't believe I made you cry on our first date. I'm sorry."

"I'm not all that strong." She admitted, her voice soft and still affected from her tears. "And all it took to finally see that was meeting you...Who knew we were both so great at playing a part?" The woman pushed out an amused scoff. "I think the worst of it is that it took me so long to realize: all this intellect and so-called perfection and I'm just as foolish and in denial with love as any other." Smiling when he pushed back the same strand of hair that had been knocked loose before, Miranda gave him a peck on the hand that swept it away, lips lingering there for several seconds before she looked up to him and nodded, "I'd like that." Her smile grew slightly from his nervous chuckle, appreciating his attempt to lighten the mood and make her feel comfortable no matter what state she was in. "Yes...This is pretty top heavy for only our first -- what will we do for our second?" She asked humorously, before reaching up to plant her lips on his, suddenly wanting nothing more then to savor his taste, not minding the bitterness of her shed tears along with his sweetness; what better physical representation was there of their heartfelt confession?

Shepard was still entranced by the sensations that coursed through his body every time that their lips met. He swore he could almost taste every single word shared between them during these last few moments, or rather the emotions behind them; the way Miranda's full lips moved in harmony with his felt as exhilarating as it did soothing. After several, long moments he reluctantly pulled away, intent on answering her question. Seeing a smile gracing her lips once more brought him no small measure of joy. "I suppose we'll just have to agree to disagree on whether or not you're strong." The man wiped the last remnants of tears from the brunette's cheeks.

Miranda nodded from his statement: it was not that she didn't think she was strong, physically or otherwise; she knew for a fact that she had not only survived the circumstances life had given to her, but had thrived, turning her father's project with her genetics into her own successes, her own breakthroughs; what was known, however – what he exposed her to – was that there was indeed a growing part in her that wished to let go, that even yearned to be taken care of every now and then for a change instead of consistently being the caretaker. Yes: she could easily live on her own, without this man; what managed to shake her very foundations and yet provide a joy like no other was that she knew she did not _want _to – the commander had proven to be all she didn't know she needed and still more. Burying her head into his chest at the thought, the woman's smile grew from his warmth spreading through her own body.

The man continued. "As for our second date...first: thank you for agreeing to a second one after this. Second: I don't know when we'll have time for it, but once we _do_, and we're on some planet or station that's a little more _reputable _than Omega; I'd like to take you someplace nice. Maybe a restaurant where the 'beef' came from an actual dead cow, hm?" At 'dead cow', he briefly raised an eyebrow before assuming a more serious expression. "Listen, I know this is kind of out of the blue, and isn't exactly the most romantic idea for a date or a getaway, but...if we were to get a longer period of time to ourselves at some point -- like a week -- I've been thinking a lot about going back to visit Mindoir for a long time now, to maybe get -- I don't know -- some closure? Do you think that maybe you...could come with me? I never went back there after...after I buried mom and dad. I never really dealt with it, I just packed my stuff as fast as I could afterwards and got on the first shuttle off-world. I just...feel like I have to at least visit their graves, you know? Let 'em know their son is still alive. Maybe see if our old house is still standing? I just don't want to...I don't think I can do that alone, Miri. You're the only person that..." He stubbornly blinked away some tears. "Shit... What I'm trying to say is: you're the only person that I trust enough to come with me. I...._want_ to share that with you."

"You're being cruel: this first one wasn't a complete failure." She snuggled into his form that much more, exhaling contently. "To be honest, it was very educational; I learned two very important things about my Addy." The smirk that crept to her lips also seeped into her tone as she raised her hand to count off on her fingers. "One;" She extended her pointer finger, "He loves me. Two:" Her middle rose, "he loves me even more when there are peaches around." After sharing a chuckle, she did not see his expression become solemn, but could hear all she needed to know in his voice; understanding his intent after he had mentioned Mindoir, her brows rutting sadly when he commented on visiting his deceased parents and wanting to know if their house was still where it used to be, wishing to find some hope of closure from such a painful past. While it hurt to hear his once strong voice become hoarser and hoarser until finally breaking, the woman viewed her task as clear when his strained explicative reached her ears: softly pushing away from his chest, Miranda wrapped her arms around his neck; her head leaning against his own while her lips gently kissed him there.

"It's all right…Take your time." There was no way that she would not let this man know that she was here for him, that if he could accept her in whatever state of emotion she was in, she could readily do the same. She felt him take a deep, calming breath before continuing on, his point finally made plain as he told her of his trust, giving her this poignant glimpse of his own vulnerabilities while making her own eyes tear up once more as he confided in her; if this was what the future of their relationship held for them, exposing themselves completely to the other and not having a need to feel any shame, surely it could not be all bad. "Adrian…Nothing could make me happier than to share that moment with you, to be able to prove, just as you did to me, that you're never alone– that we have each other." She pulled him closer into her embrace. "I want to show you…how much you mean to me; how anything ever concerning you is of the greatest importance."

"Thank you." Shepard couldn't think of much else he could say in response to her support. The woman so tightly embracing him provided him with more comfort, confidence and joy than he could possibly put into words. He let himself enjoy the closeness of Miranda's warmth for several moments of companionable silence before clearing his throat. "As I said, I don't know when we'll have the time to...do that, but thank you for...being you. I don't remember the last time I truly asked anyone for help, it's always the other way around." He let his hands move to gently grab her by the hips; letting his fingers just barely find their way underneath her shirt, for no other reason than wanting to feel her soft skin. Pushing her back gently to signal that she should pull back slightly, he flashed a bright smile as he saw her face once more. "So I'm 'your' Addy now, huh? I suppose there are worse fates than belonging to a woman like yourself." His fingers were slowly running over the skin on her sides in small patterns.

"It's nice, isn't it?" She commented back when he told her that he also was not used to relying on others, letting out a gratified 'mm' when his hands fell to her hips, her brow raising inquisitively when his fingers found their way underneath her shirt and he pushed her back slightly. "Of course;" The woman smiled from his easy question as she repositioned her own hand at his chest, fingers playing with the defined ridges found there, "I've claimed you now -- in more ways then one: you're mine." As if to cement the the fact, Miranda captured his lips forcefully, yet teasingly as it was far too quick to be anything but possessive, leaning back to present a superior gaze, "Objections, Commander?"

The man flashed a toothy grin. "No objections, Ms. Lawson. You know, I learned a few things, too. One; you love me right back, even though you had me worried there for a moment. Two: you have great taste in wine...as far as I can tell with my limited knowledge of such things. Your taste in men is slightly questionable, though." He didn't even try to resist the urge to steal another, brief kiss.

Reveling in his ministrations to her skin, she frowned lightly from his first comment on what he had managed to learn -- guilty over ever making him concerned that her love was not his. "I never meant make you worry, Adrian; I just...had to admit it to myself. It's one thing to discover that you're in love with someone, but an entirely different thing to own up to the fact -- especially when extremely independent. I never thought I would need anyone; perhaps trust them with something vital, but never need." The hand still behind his neck massaged the skin there lightly while she captured his grey-blue eyes. "But I need you. I don't want you having any doubts, Addy -- I've fallen in love with you, the wonderful man that you are."

"I just hope you don't think a relationship with me is going to be all about us taking turns crying on each other's shoulders. I mean...that too, when there's need; but I'd like to think that there's room for some fun and happiness there, as well. I want to share everything about myself with you, good and bad; and I want the same in return. Maybe we've had enough of the 'bad' for tonight, though?" He paused, reconsidering his words. "Perhaps not 'bad', but...emotional? Serious? Sad? At any rate...what I'm thinking is that we could forget all of the other stuff for now, and for the rest of the night just be Adrian and Miranda, two people who happen to be very much in love. How does that sound?"

The brunette nodded when he told her the night had been serious and emotional, and it had: she certainly could not disagree nor did she despise him for the adjectives used, or the fact that he wished to forget the drama of their...unforeseen confession, and continue on with their first date. It was silly, perhaps, but she could not help but grin from the use of their two names together: not Ms. Lawson the prodigy and Commander Shepard the wonder soldier, but Adrian and Miranda; two human beings who had ultimately found meaning in the other. She did not stop the chuckle pushing at her lips from his description of how they could act and then his question. "It sounds like the opening page to one of those honeymoon getaway brochures." Her grin turned into a relentless smirk full of mischief. "Hinting at something, _Adrian_?"

Shepard froze. "What?! Honeym-... _no_! Wait, I mean...not that it would be in any way a bad thing to...I mean, I _love _you but I've never really thought about..." Miranda's smirk seemed to only intensify at his rambling. "...You're just toying with me, aren't you?" He met her smirk with one of his own as he disentangled himself from their embrace and scooted backwards, creating a few inches of space between their bodies; every single part of his body suddenly seemed so much colder when deprived of her touch. "I think I deserve some compensation for that, Ms. Lawson." He crossed his arms over his chest in a challenging pose. "Kiss me. Not just any peck will do either. I think this calls for the kind of kiss that'd bring a dead man back to life. Maybe that's how you did it, earlier? Brought me back, that is."

"Oh?" Miranda questioned from his audacious claim, still smirking from his hilariously adorable display when she dropped the thought of a honeymoon on him. "Such a strong demand, Commander." Her hand outstretched to him, fingers tip-toeing across one of his crossed arms as she could not deny that she was left wanting from his body's sudden detatchment. "Though I wonder if you've learned your lesson from before and planned this out. If not, there could be..._repercussions._" She emphasized the word, dragging her nails lightly down his skin until disengaging from it. "I could, for example, refuse your request...Clearly, you know the wondrous effects my kisses can give; it seems I have the upper hand in this situation, doesn't it?" The woman shifted her body, expanding the space between their forms even more. "Unless, you manage to take it from me. That, or make me somehow _wish _to kiss you..." Her lips maintained her smug smirk as her blue eyes rolled to the top of her head in mock thought: she loved moments like this between them, these playful encounters. "And we both know that's _impossible_...."

"Impossible, huh? What happened to me being a 'wonderful man', 'cute when trying to impress you' and you practically _begging_ me to strip you when we woke up?" Shepard's eyes twinkled with amusement as he attempted to close the distance between them, leaning in to capture Miranda's lips himself when she seemed intent on playing hard to get. Just as he could feel her breath on his skin, she dodged his attempt with ease and created some space between the two of them once more. He tried again, reaching a hand out to cup the side of her face only to have it gently redirected with a playful slap. A huge grin was playing on her face, her eyes filled with mirth. The man released an amused chuckle over their game.

"Do you want me to beg, Miri? Because I will." He raised an eyebrow. "If confessing my undying love and devotion to you doesn't make you want to kiss me, then I'm running out of ideas. Or maybe..." The commander reached for the can of peaches that had been discarded earlier, producing another juicy slice. Feeling incredibly stupid and silly over his idea; he willed himself to continue regardless. He brought the slice up to his lips, running it over them; trying to be as seductive as she had earlier; knowing full well how idiotic he must've looked. If only his trainers from his days in the N7 training program could see him now. He finally popped the piece of fruit into his mouth and began to slowly chew. "We've already established that_ I _absolutely love peaches. What about you, _Ms. Lawson_?"

Miranda, eyeing his display with mounting amusement, grinned when the man whom even she knew she was teasing mercilessly mimicked her actions from earlier, the juicy peach slice slowly trailing his lips as he obviously choose seduction as his method of enthrallment. While not at all a wasted effort in gaining her attention – his actions were quite appealing in their own way; his noticeable awkwardness in performing the enticing act made her burst into a small fit of giggles. Just the sight of seeing what most would think a war hardened, no nonsense soldier running a piece of fruit over his mouth in an earnest attempt to be sexy made her laugh even more as her stomach began to pain her while she cradled it, the fact that he seemed to have to put everything into persuading himself to continue not helping matters. Holding a hand up to him in an effort to convey that he had done enough and that she would die of laughter if he did not stop; the woman, after one last humored breath, decided to be somewhat merciful when he finally plopped the slice into his mouth, the roguish expression spreading on his moist lips begging to be kissed off while he questioned her.

"What about me, Shepard? I've already told you that I enjoy peaches very much. In fact;" She dragged one of her knees forward against the smooth metal of the floor, leaning her upper body forward just enough so that her lips could barely touch against the soft flesh of his own, "I believe I also told you they're my absolute favorite. Now:" Her lips pursed slightly as she exhaled, knowing the warm, tingling sensation from his no doubt buzzing nerves would drive him wild, "if I were you, and I knew such gratuitously given intel about my opposition; well, I would use said peaches to my fullest advantage…." Miranda, eyelids draped low with desire, reached around him to the same can of peaches and plucked another wedge from its depths, bringing it to her lips as she did previously, "Surely before they used it against me…" The corner of her lips curled into a wicked smirk, her fingers creeping the piece of fruit in an agonizingly slow pace down her chin, neck, and clavicle, making a damp trail down to the sliver of breast revealed by her shirt; her hand held it there. "Wouldn't you agree, Commander?"

Shepard quickly forgot his embarrassment and felt his heartrate spike as the brunette teased his senses further with a simple puff of warm breath against his lips. He didn't dare move, afraid Miranda would move away once more, even though his instincts were screaming for him to slam her down on the floor and take her, make her _his_; the only thing stopping him was his brain. As the woman produced yet another slice of fruit and torturously slowly caressed her porcelain skin with it, finally stopping right at the valley of her breasts, he could take it no more without acting. Tentatively reaching out, he grasped her by the waist with both hands. She didn't move. He tightened his grip on her and lowered his mouth towards his goal while constantly searching her face for signs of her pulling away once more; he found none.

Miranda could not help a small, audible gasp from the hesitant, but firm grasp of his hands to her waist, lips compelled to grin from the possessiveness it implied as it was evident from his tentative movements that the man was extremely wary of her moving from his reach again, remorselessly evading his efforts as she did before – but she was done with teasing. Her bold performance with the peach slice, the deliberate placing of it so near her breasts; all were done to make one thing perfectly clear: like the fruit, she wished to be devoured.

His mouth finally touching her skin once more, Shepard eagerly lapped up the wedge, almost swallowing it whole; preferring the taste of her skin. Lips gently kissing and caressing; teeth grazing and tongue worshipping her flesh as he let his his hands find their way under her shirt and roam freely across her back. Tracing his way upward with the tip of his tongue, the commander made a point of rubbing her neck with his chin, having learned just how much she enjoyed the rough texture of his stubble on the delicate skin. Finally level with her face, he trailed soft kisses along her jawline until he stopped at her lips, as close as she had been moments earlier. Extricating his hands from underneath her shirt, he stared into her azure eyes and blindly reached for something on the floor. Bringing his hand back, he revealed yet another slice of fruit and held it between their lips. "_Last one, Miri..._" He whispered, teasing her lips with the wedge.

When his mouth began to suck at the peach sliver between the cleft of her breasts, his lips quickly capturing and swallowing it before a hot tongue lapped hungrily at her skin, the fruit seemingly nothing more than a distraction: the brunette moaned softly, body instinctively arching toward him and toward the smooth pleasure. Transitioning into more aggressive action, his grazing teeth, combined with suction, began working against the sensitive flesh of her chest as Miranda could not help but cry out from the amazing combination as her hand clutched firmly against his head to cement him even closer, yearning for more; his hands were not idle either as they sought entrance into her shirt, soothingly caressing her back while his now explorative tongue made her writhe in his grasp, the organ following the same trail she made down with the fruit's sweet juices until his stubble nicked against her delicate chin. Letting out an appreciative "ooh" from the friction, her lips spread into a lazy smile as his lips lavished wonderful attention to her jaw line: seeking to distribute some pleasure of her own, her unoccupied hand landed on his chest, fingernails scraping down the unyielding area and the fabric of his thin shirt before the digits hurriedly seized the hem of it and tugged it up as far as she could. A sigh of contentment left her as her hand pressed against the soft steel of his pectorals, sliding down to enjoy every defined ridge of his abs as his stormy-blue eyes, staring deeply into her own, clearly conveyed his gratification from her actions. The woman did not notice when he reached away to grab some unknown object, but the smile on her lips easily grew when he suddenly produced another wedge of the once innocent peaches, informing her that it was the last as he purposely outlined her lips with it.

Licking the two puffs of flesh to capture its delicious taste, Miranda neared her face to his own, completely evading the wedge and going for his ear. "Then let's not waste it…." Nipping at his earlobe only once, her fingers stole the peach slice from his grasp, her other hand pushing against his right shoulder, "_Down_." The brunette purred as Shepard complied with her order, his back hitting the metal floor as she straddled him. Superior expression returning to her face once again, she lifted his already rolled up shirt even more, lowering the fruit to each of his nipples and circling it there before trailing a zigzag path downward until she reached the start of his pants. She could sense his anticipation, his lower body slightly rising into hers from her proximity; she tsked lightly though ground her hips into him mercilessly. "Patience, Commander." Drawing the peach wedge back up, she let the fruit rest in the dip of his belly button before viewing her work with a satisfied smirk; capturing his desire-ridden orbs with a lustful glance of her own, Miranda lowered her mouth to one of the nipples she had teased before and gently took it to her mouth, tongue teasing it as she again enjoying the peach's remnants there, but savoring him combined with it all the more. Lightly grazing her teeth against it before she rose, she repeated the same process with his left nipple before following the long trail she created down the rest of his torso, nipping at random places and sucking on the taut skin at others; finally reaching the prized slice of fruit, she bit at the piece, slowly consuming it in the natural bowl that was his belly button before swirling her tongue around the circular dip once she finished: looking up at him again, she made a show of slowly licking her lips. "How addicting…You'll make it so I can't eat peaches without you, Addy…."

Shepard released a series of moans and groans as the brunette sucked, nibbled and teased his nipples; her tongue and grazing teeth sending jolts of pleasure throughout his body. When she finally reached the piece of fruit she'd deposited in his belly button, he felt nothing but pure arousal as she devoured the slice and licked around his navel; his pants an extremely uncomfortable obstruction by now. Seeing her looking up at him from that position while licking her lips, eyes oozing pure sex was the straw that broke the camel's back. Letting out a guttural growl, the commander grabbed her underneath her arms, roughly hoisting her up his body until their faces were level and crushed their lips together in a bruising kiss; claiming her mouth as his. Wrapping his arms tightly around the woman, he didn't allow the slightest of distance between their bodies; relishing the feel of the softness of her breasts against his chest, instinctively bucking his hips up against her. He rolled their entangled bodies around on the floor to position himself on top, accidentally knocking over their wine glasses in the process. Shepard was far too preoccupied with the sensitive skin of her neck and clavicle to notice, nipping; almost biting the tender flesh.

"Wrap...your arms around my neck." He managed to grunt out between frenzied kisses, and the woman wordlessly complied. As she had a secure grip on him, he rose up; bringing her with him. Never breaking their passionate embrace, the commander found himself stumbling around the floor aimlessly with the woman in his arms. Moving both of his hands down to grasp her ass firmly, she took the opportunity to jump up and wrap her strong legs tightly around him; Shepard barely noticed the weight he now fully carried in his lust-crazed state. Stumbling forward, they finally came to a halt as he slammed her back into the wall. Eventually, his kisses moved over to her ear, sucking and grazing the lobe with his teeth. "_Miri_..."

He moaned her name, his breathing ragged as he tried to regain some sort of control over himself; in some ways it almost felt wrong to give in to the unbridled lust that consumed him, part of him felt as if it would somehow cheapen the moment if he were to continue being so rough and driven purely by animal instinct. He pulled back, wanting to see her face and he found that her eyes were still closed, she was barely wearing any makeup and her moist lips were slightly swollen; she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"You're...you're so..." Coherency was extremely elusive to Shepard at the moment. As Miranda opened her eyes, the look in those azure orbs darkened by desire made the tightness of his pants unbearable; the commander clinched fists around the fabric of her shirt so tightly he almost tore pieces off as he tried to restrain himself. He tried to steady his breathing while the baser part of his brain still wanted nothing more than to rip Miranda's pants off then and there and slam into her. In an attempt to stay in control, he returned his attention to her neck so he couldn't see her hypnotic eyes, nipping and kissing the taut skin before resting in the crook there and releasing a hoarse whisper.

"_Let me... make love to you, Miri..._"

* * *

A/N: I wonder where this is heading...


	5. STATUS UPDATE IN ALL CAPS

Since it's been such a ridiculously long time and people have outright asked about it, I thought I should just let people know I haven't abandoned this story. It WILL be finished, I assure you. The upcoming fifth chapter will, however, be the last one. I originally planned this only as a one-shot, but I was then convinced to add to it. Once I've finished the fifth chapter, I will have run out of ideas on where to take the story.

I want things to be coherent and to have a clear direction, simply forcing it out just to get more chapters to it wouldn't be very fulfilling for me as a writer, and the quality would suffer. Now, that doesn't mean I'm completely ruling out future one-shots set in this particular version of the ME universe, I just won't have a single overarching storyline. We'll see what happens.

BUT THAT LAST CHAPTER OF ATLAS IS STILL COMING. :P

...and let's just say it will NOT be suitable for children. Assuming one has read ch. 4, it doesn't take a genius to figure out what my not-so-subtle hinting is hinting towards. :P


	6. Aphrodite

_Aphrodite_

A/N: Ok, so it took me a year but I DID finish it! A huge thank you to everyone who has read the story so far and to everyone who might read it in the future and an even more special thank you to those of you who have reviewed. You're good people.

Again, **leogrl19 **is an awesome beta and co-author and deserves praise for not losing her shit at some point due to me being a lazy bastard.

So, uh...here it is: the last chapter. If you're under the age where it'd be appropriate for you to read such _filth_ in whatever country you might be in OR if you for some reason find an extended depiction of consensual sexual intercourse between two adult homo sapiens offensive, then this might not be your cup of tea. Because such acts will be performed.

Oh yes.

* * *

Excitement. That was the sole word the woman would use to express the addictive feeling surging throughout her body, though gratification and lust played a sizeable role as well – for both, she was sure. From the rough tug of her body up his own form, to the relentless kissing of his lips as he only stopped to get air; it was all highly euphoric, watching her usually calm and collected Commander Shepard appear to be very rapidly losing all his control. After another passionate push of his sweet lips against hers, he reluctantly broke away from her once more only to flip their bodies. Miranda, hearing the clink of toppling glasses and the splash of wine as he lay above her, tsked from his impatience. "Addy…" She chuckled breathlessly, enjoying the press of his deliciously hard body against hers now that she was beneath him, "You're making a mes – ahhh…" Her sentence could not be completed as a sharp gasp left her while his teeth danced upon her neck, his hot tongue soothing the bites before claiming her clavicle while the brunette shivered from the wonderful equilibrium between pleasure and pain.

"Wrap...your arms around my neck."

Tilting her head back instinctively for more while closing her eyes, he began to furiously kiss the offered flesh there: she felt no need to distract him with words as she quickly acquiesced with his order before feeling her entire weight succumb to yet another strong tug as she hung close to his body. A second gasp was ripped from her lips when he seized her bottom; an area the man seemed to enjoy quite a bit. Miranda not waiting for an invitation as she wrapped her legs securely around his hips while he stumbled around almost drunkenly, before a small grunt left her when she slammed her back into a wall. "De…ja…vu…" She huskily purred each syllable out while slipping a hand underneath his shirt and forcefully raking her nails against his strong chest, mind now absolutely buzzing; all the wine in the world could not replicate the dizzying state he could so easily bring to her.

"_Miri_..."

The combination of his ministrations to her earlobe and hearing her nickname _moaned_ so made her squirm with pure delight, losing herself in his never-ending kisses; there was a sudden and unexplained pause, however, and the woman whined from the lost of his touch, reluctantly opening her eyes to find the cause of this recess only to see him staring hungrily at her, trying, with what seemed to be all his might, to form a coherent sentence.

"You're...you're so..."

"Amazing? Wonderful? Perfect?" She could not stop the grin that spread on her now unoccupied lips from her playful guesses, relishing the obvious battle he was having with patience and control as his hand balled the thin fabric of her white shirt tightly, breaths fast and labored, "Any of those adjectives will do, Adrian. Though, the last one is preferred." He looked away from her then, again giving amazing focus to her neck while he nipped and licked there, making her moan this time from the attention to the already wonderfully abused flesh.

_"Let me... make love to you, Miri..."_

Making love.

The man didn't remember ever thinking of the act as such or using those words with any woman in the past. He'd had sex with his share of women, he'd even fucked a few; never had he made love to anyone.

When his hoarse whisper reached her ears, Miranda could not stop another shiver from wreaking havoc against her spine, the hoarse, if not desperate tone combined with his previously rough action making her entire abdomen now burn with arousal while her heart saw fit to beat right out of her chest from the obvious sentiment of his words. Slipping the back of her free hand down his cheek, she lifted his head to her when her fingers rested underneath her chin, needing to see his stormy-blue eyes clouded so very much with need for her. "Request accepted, Commander." Her lips slid unhurriedly against his own, still tasting the lingering flavor of the peaches he had eaten not long before. "_Take me_…" Emphasizing her demand with a needy thrust of her hips to move him toward their new destination, the brunette began to glow as all the occupants, still residing from their dinner on the blanket, levitated into the air only to be tossed haphazardly across the room in different directions.

Shepard felt his heart flutter as the woman in his arms left no room for interpretation: she wanted this just as much as he did. Her words and the deliberate, soft touch of her full lips calmed the selfish beast inside him somewhat. Every single bit of the desire and the need burned ever so brightly within him, perhaps even more so now; except now he gained a measure of control back. He was determined to make this night decidedly different from their almost desperate moment of passion in the engine room a few days prior; which, while incredible, and something he'd never want to do differently, had still been more about two people desperately needing to feel the touch of another, wanting to feel _alive_ before facing near certain death, than it had been about love. He fully intended to indulge the primal need to 'take her' as she put it in a whisper against his lips, but he would never succumb and do what the brutish animal inside wanted him to do, roaring for him to do something about the nearly painful erection straining his pants, willing him to _use her_ for his own release. No, this would be a night to remember for _both_ of them.

"If...I were to be taken in return, then you've got yourself a deal." He stumbled backwards slightly as she shifted her weight to push him towards her desired destination, he couldn't help but laugh as the woman once again used her biotics in a situation like this; the wine bottle she so adamantly had insisted that they finally drink shattering against the wall as she cleared the blanket for them. They could worry about cleaning up the mess in the morning. He steadied himself and stopped before she sent them tumbling back down on the floor. "You know...if you...keep using your...biotics like this then...I'm going to eventually...get turned on whenever...you use them in battle." He managed to get out between kisses. He broke away from her mouth far enough to see her eyes and shook his head slightly. "Not here, though; not tonight." Returning his attention to the irresistible puffs of flesh, he walked towards the door, trying to balance between the intoxicating taste and sensation of her lips and his need to see where he was going. Miranda helped him in his task, reaching blindly backwards with one hand, she managed to hit the button to open the door as he carried her out of the observatory.

Pausing every now and then to steady their entangled forms by leaning the brunette against a wall as he grabbed a firmer grip on her, he slowly moved them through the ship's corridors towards their destination, never breaking the contact of his lips with her flesh; if their lips weren't locked together, he was lavishing attention to the tender skin of her neck or trailing kisses along her jawline. Finally reaching their goal, having completely ignored the dumbfounded pilot sitting at the crew's dinner table, his mouth agape as he stared at the scene unfolding in front of him, Shepard smashed his fist against the button to open the door to Miranda's cabin and leaned her back against the wall when on the other side, right next to the panel which allowed the door's locking mechanism to be programmed. Nibbling and sucking on her earlobe, his other hand now freely roamed underneath her shirt when it was no longer necessary for supporting her weight, needing to touch her bare skin. "What's...how do I...lock this _fucking_ thing? What's...the code?"

The several stuttered attempts the man made to voice his question on getting her door locked were amusing, at the very least, as an entertained, albeit lazy smile spread across her lips, but amusement quickly melted away to raging desire as he pushed her hard against the wall (a seemingly favored action: she decided she would have to, later, return the favor…), fingers furiously roaming underneath her shirt now, the calloused digits touching stomach, back, and even teasing the hint of her breasts in the most enticing manner. Combined with the fact that he also claimed her earlobe and was nibbling and sucking on the flesh mercilessly, Miranda could now empathize with his brain's unwillingness to properly communicate his thoughts as hers was quickly being stunted by pleasure. "It's…five…five, two, sev-" She grunted as he gave a markedly harder bite to her lobe, his hand now on top of her right breast while grasping slightly; she glared at him, though it could barely seem lethal as she couldn't focus on the action – especially when catching his small smirk, "Dammit, Adrian…Do you want…this door locked…or not?"

Reaching her arm out to her left side, her hand dragged against the smooth surface until feeling the console, fingers remembering the feel of it as she expertly imputed the code, a satisfying beep signaling it had been properly locked greeting both of them. "It's done…" The brunette assured as her lips darted to his jaw line, making a trail of stinging bites and kisses all her own. She wished to tear his clothes off long before they had reached her room, but the urge was stronger now – almost to the point of being unbearable, though…she understood he had something to prove to her – especially after their rather dramatic admissions of love – and, because of this, ignored her body's cries and willingly gave control while her blue eyes urgently sought his, "…What now?" Her tone was made hoarse with the longing she now attempted to quell.

The woman's darkened topaz eyes and breathy voice sent shivers throughout Shepard's body, still amazed over how she somehow managed to arouse him even further when he already felt like he might explode. Staring intently into her eyes, he took steady, determined steps forward until he stopped at the edge of her bed on the other side of the room. "Let go." He gently demanded as he tapped the side of her thigh to clarify what he meant.

Miranda was more than hesitant to pry her intimately wrapped body from his, but complied anyway, reminding herself once more that this was his show…until she could no longer take it, anyway; then, heaven help him if it got to that point. Her regret was immediate, coinciding perfectly to when her feet hit the ground: she already felt colder while away from his touch.

Luckily, her wait was not long as his warm hands seized the hem of her shirt and eagerly peeled it upward while she lifted her arms to endorse the action, giving light kisses to indiscriminate areas on her face before and after pulling the unnecessary article of clothing over her head and tossing it to some insignificant corner; the brunette smirked. "A bold start, Commander: you've taken care of that pesky article of clothing, haven't you?" She winked, smirk now sinful. "And now…Well, the possibilities are endless, really…"

Ever so slowly, his mouth made its way down Miranda's body, softly kissing the spots on her neck and clavicle and being rewarded by her mouth releasing a small gasp followed by a cooing sound as the flesh there was so delicate that his every move caused her nerves to jump and tingle in absolute delight. Continuing down to her ample bosom, he worshipped every bit of skin he found that wasn't covered by the thin fabric of her bra, while simultaneously bringing one hand up to gently knead and caress one breast. As his mouth trailed down in a close to torturous pace, the woman bit back the moan pushing at her lips when his own finally met the top of her chest, one of her hand's resting on his head before dragging her nails down to his neck, needing to feel some part of him. Like before, he devoted all of his focus to the sensitive area and made her cry out in pleasure as his hand simultaneously kneaded her right breast, her form unconsciously pushing into his touch as the added combination of his warmth and the cloth of her lacy bra was breathtaking.

Kneeling down in front of her, he leisurely traced a path across her firm stomach with his tongue in a similar fashion as she had done to him earlier, making sure to look up at her almost constantly, both to gauge her reactions and simply because of a need to see his lover's face; reveling in the involuntary twitches and tightening of her muscles as he hit particularly sensitive spots, his hands now massaging her lower back and bottom. Barely grazing around edges of her navel with the very tip of his tongue before continuing his journey downward, the man finally reached an obstacle in the edge of her pants. Miranda could not stop the long shiver that ran through her body as she watched him kneel before her, the look in his desire filled orbs intoxicating as he looked up to her from her stomach. "_Addy_…" She called out softly, restraining from saying the rest as she promised herself she would not disrupt his pace; he was so close now…to the place where she ached for him so very desperately.

He made quick work of the buttons before roughly pulling the pants midway down her thighs with a grin and then pushing her backward with his hands on her hips, he had her sit on the edge of the bed, his roguish grin making her chuckle. "Feeling accomplished, dear?" Stretching out her half undressed legs with a devious look, she wrapped her calves around his lower torso to drag him near. "You'll feel even more if you just get closer…"

His grin grew from her obvious fervor as he resumed his journey, unhurriedly kissing, nipping and licking his way down her right leg while peeling away the cloth as he went; constantly massaging either her thigh, calf or foot. Finally freeing one smooth leg from the confines of her pants, he removed her sock as well before starting to trace his way back up her leg, stopping for a moment to lift the limb high enough to grant his lips access to the sensitive skin of the back of her knee, tracing the tip of his tongue around the delicate area. After giving the same treatment to her other leg, he made his way back up her abdomen before pulling her head down into a passionate kiss while still kneeling on the floor between her legs; reclaiming the lips that had seemed to be absent from his own for far too long. He loved her body and wished to show her how much he adored every part of it – she understood that; however, said body was becoming extremely needy and intolerant as his actions only further reminded it of the loss it experienced back in his room earlier. His mouth again at her stomach put a pause to her mental battle as she writhed, but his lips once more pressing against hers was a godsend: the brunette forced her eagerness into their kiss, capturing his tongue when it broke through the easy barrier she presented while forcing his head down. Moaning into his mouth as he recalled control and began to battle her tongue, she whined with dissatisfaction when he pulled away, the kiss ending too soon, always too soon.

Finally pulling away, still gently sucking on the tip of her soft tongue until it slipped out from the prison of his lips, he let an affectionate smile grace his features as released a low whisper. "Your turn."

Opening her eyes when he declared he was done, she witnessed the warm smile his face held, it making her quickly forget her loss, the simple expression telling marvels on how much he loved her and wished to please her – her heart burning with the same love for the selfless act. Draping her arms around his neck, Miranda returned his tender smile as she began to stand, motioning for him to come up with her. "Adrian…thank you. I couldn't be happier that you wished to show me how much you love every part of me then by doing what you did." She placed another soft, lingering kiss on his lips. "And while I appreciate your efforts, as you said…" The woman slowly began to turn them both around as her smile grew mischievous, "it's my turn now."

Latching onto his body again as he instinctively supported her weight with hands at her bottom, Shepard stumbled back only slightly from the unexpected move, but a swift thrust of her hips made sure that they both collapsed on top of her bed. "No more games;" Her hands snatched at his beater and tugged it over his head, "no more teasing;" She scraped her nails down his now bare chest until reaching the hem of his pants, popping the button effortlessly before tugging the zipper down, "no more waiting." Planting a hand to the mattress, she used the leverage to flip the two of them over so he was on top, grinning up at him as excitement and gratification flowed through her veins and increased the arousal that throbbed incessantly in her abdomen. "As you can see, I'm not the patient sort, Commander. I know what I want – and I get it. And I don't settle for less…Right now," Her lips captured his bottom one as her fingers infiltrated through the barrier of his underwear and grasped his strong erection, "what I want is you." Miranda gave an appreciative squeeze to emphasis her point. "I need you inside, Addy…Make love to me…"

Feeling Miranda's hand firmly grasp and squeeze his hardness almost made Shepard lose control; the beast dwelling within him in a state of frenzy, demanding that he take her; _fuck_ her. Hearing her express out loud exactly what he wanted to do ever so badly made him throb - almost painfully so - in her grasp, he _needed _to feel her envelop him; and soon. He did have something to accomplish before that, however; a craving to give in to that had been building for some time. He broke away from her lips for a moment so he could look her in the eyes once more. "I _am_ making love to you, Miri...I promise to make it worth your while if you hold on to that thought just a little while longer."

He reclaimed her lips, reuniting their tongues as they duelled for dominance; his hand moving down between their bodies to finally touch her sex for the first time in days, rubbing her through the thin fabric of her panties, the damp spot he found there telling him just how aroused the brunette was. Reluctantly disengaging himself from her lips once more, the man made his way down her torso again, though not as torturously slowly as he had earlier. Reaching under her back while kissing her clavicle, he pulled her up from the mattress far enough to be able to unhook her bra; quickly getting rid of the meddling undergarment. Being presented with her bare breasts, he couldn't help himself: swooping down, he devoured every bit of soft, porcelain flesh he found; sucking a rosy nipple into his mouth he rolled his tongue around and caressed the hardening bud and grazed it ever so slightly with his teeth before giving similar attention to its twin. Remembering her insistence on 'no more teasing', he moved further down and wordlessly peeled down the last article of clothing adorning her body; blindly tossing the panties away into some corner. For the first time, he truly took in the sight before him: Miranda Lawson, the woman he _loved_ was fully naked beneath him, every single curve was perfect to him, her breathing slightly labored, cheeks flushed and topaz eyes darkened with desire. "You're...gorgeous." The word was the only thing he could think of that would even come close to describing what he saw. Finally, he reached his goal as he brought his face down close enough to feel the heat radiating from her center as he spread her legs to grant himself access.

Looking up into her eyes, he couldn't resist giving her teasing kisses along her inner thighs and working his way around the outer edges of her lips, even though he knew how much she wanted the teasing to stop. One hand holding her by the hip, he brought the other to join his mouth as he slowly spread her moist lips with his fingers; exploring her folds as his mouth worked its way around the peripheral area. He soon replaced the exploring fingers with his mouth, moaning into her heat as he tasted her for the first time; running his tongue from bottom to top before kissing all around her clit, just close enough to stimulate without actually touching the sensitive bud. Reaching out with the hand at her hip to take her hand in his, he enveloped her tiny bud and a good portion of her folds with his lips, applying the most gentle of suction to the area as he lapped at her with his tongue. Looking up at her, listening to her gasps and moans, feeling how she moved her hips and squeezed his hand, he let her guide his mouth and tongue on her. Finding a motion to which she reacted very strongly, hips pushing into him forcefully; he kept at it, wanting desperately to give his lover the release she craved. With his free hand, he inserted a single finger into her wetness, gently probing before inserting a second as his mouth never ceased its motion. He applied a firm pressure, massaging her inner walls with the two digits, feeling her tighten around them even further. Her breathing was quickly becoming more ragged and her moans intensified; he turned his fingers inside her to face upward and started making a deliberate 'come hither' motion with them, hoping to send her over the edge. It didn't take long before he felt her fingernails dig into his scalp and his hand, her entire body tensing up as she spasmed uncontrollably around his fingers in the throes of her climax. Finally, after letting her calm down for a moment, he moved up her body to meet her eyes once more and couldn't help but smile broadly at this wonderful woman lying beneath him. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself."

Eyelids fluttering lightly from the only now diminishing waves of pure bliss that simply overtook her entire body, Miranda sighed in contentment as she languidly cupped his cheek. "All right…" She had to breathe once more – how she adored that he made her breathless, "I'll forgive your rebelliousness – just once." She smiled at the man hovering above her looking at her so adoringly; the woman was so comfortable with him, even stark naked as she was with his ravenous orbs devouring her form: she felt like the most beautiful creature in the galaxy under the commander's gaze – for once, not solely because of her genetic modifications, but simply for being who she was. Rising up slightly to wrap a hand around his neck, the brunette cemented her lips firmly against his, wanting to convey her appreciation as she again indulged herself in his sweet taste and the taste of herself that now lingered there, a hand trailing down his body to find its way beneath his underwear to gently secure his erection in her grasp once more. Her smile easily transformed into a satisfied smirk as a pleasured grunt escaped his mouth. "About not being able to help yourself, however…" She slowly began to move her hand up and down its thick base, his member trembling at her every touch, "I feel I can empathize. I also feel you deserve your own reward."

Placing one more kiss upon his lips, Miranda seductively slid down his body, making sure that her caressing hand never once disengaged, stopped only when her mouth was at his hips: the woman nipped at the skin there, using suction to pull the taunt flesh of his abdomen up only to nip at it again, her free hand tugging the dark pants down until it was no longer an obstruction. Her hand's pace began to quicken as she looked up at him, wanting to see every effect she had on him while they happened; giving him the naughtiest of grins, the woman lowered her head to deliver an experimental flick of her tongue against his length's bulbous head, a budding drop of precum emerging soon after as she was rewarded with a deep groan and the man involuntarily jerking his hips forward. "Mmm…Well aren't you eager, Commander?" And she found herself eager as well. It was not often that she rewarded past lovers with this treat, but she very much enjoyed the act when she found a man that was worthy – and who worthier than Shepard? She gave another explorative lick, capturing the drop and spreading it around in a circular motion before lingering at his split; Miranda decided to voice her thoughts. "Not that you don't deserve it: your patience is astounding – especially when pleasing me." Deft fingers deliberately tip-toed down his rigid manhood until reaching his sack, lightly teasing the sensitive skin there. "I'm frankly amazed you managed to hold out as you did when exploring my body so very thoroughly…despite it being almost torturously slow. You weren't…" Her topaz orbs snapped up to his, mischief mingling with lust as she suddenly gave a slightly rougher tug, "doing that purposely were you? Attempting to make me go mad with lust?"

Shepard released another low groan at the brunette's rough tug of his shaft; if he had managed to make her mad with desire, she was most certainly returning the favor. The man chuckled as he met her mischievous gaze, he loved how the playful rapport they had begun to recently fall into quite often seemed to extend into the bedroom as well.

"I just...I've wanted to do that for a long time; if it drove you crazy then I swear it wasn't intentional, although a rather pleasant bonus to know I can have that effect on you." He ran a hand through her dark locks. "I just wanted to...please you." The woman's warm breath on his hardness combined with the sultry look she was giving him made him throb and involuntarily twitch in her tight grip; her full lips were so tantalizingly close...

"Please..."

"I see…No more stalling then." His implored "please" made her melt, though combined with his fingers gliding soothingly through her hair while he explained that her pleasure was at the forefront of his mind, Miranda could only smile at his sincerity, feeling the strong pulse of desire in regard to ultimately please this man spring up yet again. "I will strive to be just as selfless with this body of yours – and adore every second of it." Lightly stroking his length's responsive head with her pointer finger during her ardent declaration, the woman was done with conversation for now as she once again lowered herself, tongue replacing the spot where her fingers once laid before wrapping it around his quivering erection. Spotting a prominent vein, she lavished special attention to her find as she trailed it entirety down his base before working up just as slowly, littering the organ that opened her body up to such ecstasy only a few days earlier with soft kisses. Her hand continued to fondle his balls when her lips reached his tip again, a quick flick of her long hair behind her neck signaling her intentions as the puffs of flesh opened and she engulfed him; moving several inches down while her other hand's grip on his manhood tightened around his base before unhurriedly traveling back up, she eagerly enjoyed the full taste of him.

The brunette bobbed back down, tongue still caressing his member as she slightly increased her pace; not, for a second, letting either of her hands go to waste as they continued to caress and stroke, Miranda began to time her prolonged sucks with the repetitive up and down motion of her hand, using the undeniably sexy sounds that left his mouth as rhythm while taking in almost all of him as her wrapped fingers ground against his base. Making a show of leisurely letting him loose from her lips after repeating her actions for several minutes, the brunette smirked as she watched his now unattended hardness twitch again with need, no doubt missing her mouth's warmth. "You taste wonderful, Addy…Far better than peaches, though, not a bit less addictive." The woman commented huskily and, while not giving him that direct desire, she did clasp both of her hands on his manhood before gently grinding each one in different directions, the added lubrication of her saliva making the task easy and no doubt pleasurable if his grunts were anything to go by.

"But now I need to know how far along you are." She gave a few more teasing licks to that sensitive head of his while she continued her slow strokes, "While incredibly tempting to have you explode right here, solely from my influence…" The brunette trailed, finally locking her half laden eyes with his glazed orbs, feeling her heart swell from the love that battled the yearning there. "I want you inside when you come." She had felt his member expand while she sucked on it and could not help but picture that same feeling a little lower – how indescribably earth shattering it would all be, riding him to a second orgasm, "I have no intention of stopping until you're at the edge, however – I want…to satisfy you completely." One of her hands left his member to trail a small scar on his right thigh to show she would do the very same explorations he did for her if he truly wished it, her heat feeling even more damp from increasing need as her body no longer needed a reprieve, so turned on just by giving him this satisfaction – never feeling such a way before. It was no longer a wonder on how he was able to endure his maddening investigation of her body, the high was simply stunning.

"Nngh...you _are_ satisfying me." The commander's voice trembled with desire; feeling Miranda do things to him with her mouth that he had before only fantasized about her doing, combined with the overwhelming feeling of adoration for this woman made her stopping almost unbearable. "I'll tell you if I get too close..." He bucked his hips upward as her lips were still so close he could feel the warmth he was being deprived of on his tip. "_Please, Miri..._" The man released a low chuckle as he realized that he was _begging, _desperate for her to continue - That desperation only intensifying from the unconditional love he felt as she gently traced an old scar he'd gotten years ago from a stray piece of shrapnel with the tip of her finger. "Please don't stop just yet...I want to be inside you just as much as...just...a little more? It feels so good..."

She raised an intrigued brow. "Oh?" The woman's fingers left the scar on his thigh to trail back up to his pulsing member, dragging a slow hand down it before giving another long stroke with her tongue. "If you're going to beg…" Miranda trailed off with a naughty grin as her other hand's fingers teased his sack once more, having her way with the patch of flesh; her mouth engulfed him again, moving down his shaft and swallowing the entirety of it as she suppressed her gag reflex, only to come back up and repeat the process. Head bobbing up and down as she once again relished the feel of him inside of her – while not exactly the 'inside' her own craving body wished – it was enough that he gained such contentment from it. The brunette changed the pace of her sucks, sometimes speedily increasing her ministrations, uninterrupted until she suddenly slowed to suck against a certain point of his length or to wrap her tongue around its tip while caressing the base of it with unyielding fingers. Taking all of his length in again, she felt him twitch and thrust into her strong suction and release an almost primal grunt of pleasure as she indolently dragged her lips all the way back up his manhood before releasing him with a smile as her thumb rubbed against his frenulum. Not denying the validity of his words when he told her she was properly satisfying him, Miranda still wanted it to be an undeniable fact as she gave strong licks once more; starting at the head she delivered fast flicks against him before detaching completely, going all the way down to the base and licking a smoldering trail up, repeating her actions, but licking a different side of his manhood every time as she continued to rub her thumb against him harshly.

He had lost himself in the exquisite, sweet torture of trying to withstand the pleasure that the relentless assault of her mouth and exploring hands brought; being reduced to mere unintelligible moans and grunts; so he was almost caught by surprise by his own body's reaction as he felt the telltale signs of an imminent orgasm: his balls tightened as he could feel the pressure building and felt his shaft swell even further in her tight grasp, as impossible as that seemed - he was only seconds away from exploding. "St-stop! Oh God Miri, I'm gonna...stop stop stop!" He tried to pull away without much success, as he was laying on the bed with her form hovering over his, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she made no move to halt the movement of her hands and tongue. Desperately, the commander reached down to forcefully pull her hands away from his shaft and held them as far away as he could in an iron grip, taking deep breaths to try to avoid disaster as he closed his eyes; he did not need _any_ stimuli at the moment, most certainly not the visual of a naked Miranda Lawson in the position she was in. His cock was twitching uncontrollably as he forced himself to calm down, trying to ignore the fact that while he had gotten rid of her hands, she was still teasing him by blowing puffs of cool air and flicking the very tip of her tongue over his length. After several agonizing moments at the very edge, he finally managed to calm himself down enough to dare open his eyes to look at the brunette.

A saucy smile graced her features, the woman clearly enjoying the effect she was having on him. "Having issues, Commander?"

Shepard loosened the grip he had on her wrists while pulling her up to fuse their lips together once more, the jolts of electricity coursing through his body were just as potent as if it were their first kiss; he couldn't get over how badly he wanted her, a desire that was so much more potent than mere carnal lust. Wrapping his arms around her slender form, he pulled her as close as possible, marveling over just how _good_ her curves and soft skin felt pressed against him. As their tongues danced in unison, he let one hand travel down over her ass, and further until his fingers were teasingly exploring her sensitive, wet folds. Breaking away from her lips for a moment, he finally smiled back at her and found his voice once more. "I'm good - though I'm starting to wonder if I bit off more than I can chew when I fell in love with you."

"_Mmm_...There's always the possibility..." The woman trailed, her words laced with breathless desire as he fingered and teased the exact place she ached even more desperately now after witnessing him stray so very close to the edge…The sudden attention sent shiver-inducing tingles up her spine only to come crashing wondrously back down to the V between her legs. Miranda could not help but bite her bottom lip as she instinctively pushed down on those pleasure releasing digits of his, her body shamelessly wanting – needing, more. "Not...that it should be surprising, of course..." Another inadvertent pause accompanied with a soft moan as she closed her eyes, attempting to fight through the breathtaking haze he always managed to cultivate within her mind, "It seems to be more habitat..." Her breath hitched as he purposely switched to a more forceful thrust, the corner of her lips curling upward at his cheek, "than chance." The brunette leaned forward against his chest, her mouth claiming the lobe of his ear while her teeth grated against it gently as if claiming a victory for successfully wording her thoughts.

Releasing a throaty chuckle, Shepard couldn't help but feel a certain pride over making the normally unflappable, eloquent and undoubtedly beautiful woman in his arms seem to have difficulty in expressing her thoughts. Is not knowing without a doubt that you are giving the person you love incredible pleasure one of the most wonderful and _arousing_ feelings in existence? Nevertheless, as selfless as he had been up until this point, and as amazing as it would be to bring the woman he loved to orgasm once more with only her pleasure in mind: his patience was waning and he was becoming more and more desperate to finally feel her heat envelop him. Not that that could truly be considered a purely selfish desire, per se; Miranda was most certainly ready as well, as her exceedingly damp walls squeezed down on the two fingers that he had inside her, making his ever erect shaft twitch in arousal and anticipation. Her faltering reply did make him curious, as it had been rather difficult for him to decipher. Perhaps he could delay what he so badly wanted for just a moment longer.

Gently extracting his fingers from her center to a moan of disapproval, he grabbed a firm hold of her and flipped their bodies around once more, positioning himself on top. Trailing a series of light kisses down her neck and over her collarbone before claiming a pebbled nipple with his mouth, he simultaneously circled around the very outer edges of her clit with a single finger, never truly making contact with the bundle of nerves, very deliberate in his teasing. As it was necessary if he wanted to speak, he rather reluctantly released the nipple from his mouth after a moment, making sure to immediately replace the presence of his lips and tongue with the caresses of his free hand. He was unable to prevent the boyish grin that spread across his face when she arched her back, her full breast pressing even more firmly into his palm. "Care to be a little less cryptic?" He finally managed to word his query.

Miranda saw that damnable grin of his and put forth her very best attempt to a glare at the man, knowing she failed while even in the motions. He was only to blame, of course, inflicting these mind halting pleasures on her body - fingering, kissing, sucking: it was all becoming too much and yet never enough, her body betraying her even as she fought for some semblance of control. Even now, she felt the sluggish query drag through her consciousness, wondering exactly when it was the man above her gained such mastery over both her mind and form...Before it was forcibly burned away as the commander gently pinched her one of her hard nipples, hips bucking forward as he circled her very essence, fingers deftly avoiding nerves that would surely bring her over the edge yet again – teasing her. Feeling her pride wage war with an almost overwhelming lust, the brunette pressed further into his hand only to rise up and crash into his lips in a heated kiss, unrelenting until her head began to swim and oxygen was needed, nipping as his bottom lip in succession with each necessary pant. "Better...?" Miranda pushed the answer out spiritedly, a new gleam now residing in her eyes as she dragged a hand down his torso, making sure her nails put the slightest bit more pressure on his skin before she captured his manhood yet again, thumb rubbing against the head of it harshly before it began stroking its base. The sharp, if not surprised groan he released into the air along with his eagerly pulsing member made the brunette smirk with approval. "Surprisingly, it's far easier to be less cryptic when a certain someone isn't allowed to have his way with you." She tsked, "And what has this galaxy come to when our roles are reversed? I tease _you_ to the point of frenzy, Commander – not the other way around – not unless you earn it..." While not completely free of his intoxicating hold on her, for now, it would have to do that she could properly string two words together to form coherent sentences.

Her hot breath tickling his lips as she spoke while stroking him made Shepard curse his own determination to get an explanation of her earlier statement out of her. He wanted so desperately to bury himself deep inside her; nothing else mattered at that moment. If he could spend the rest of his life confined to this bed making love to this amazing woman until death took him, he would die far happier than he could've ever hoped of being before meeting her. But at the same time, the little game they had going of prolonging the inevitable was absolutely exhilarating, even if it did mean temporarily denying himself his deepest desires. He did recognize that he was fast approaching the breaking point of his self control, but he was not going down without a fight. Capturing her lips in yet another searing kiss, he increased the intensity of his caressing digits at her center as he roughly claimed her mouth as his. Two fingers thrusting into her, the commander continued expertly teasing around her clit with the pad of his thumb before finally flicking directly over the tiny bundle of nerves as he simultaneously pinched her nipple - hard. Being rewarded with the woman practically jumping off the bed, rapidly quickening breathing and intensifying moans, the man suddenly stopped completely. Breaking their heated kiss, he promptly removed both his hands from their places of worship as he spoke in a low whisper while slowly starting to move away from his position on top of her form. "If that's the case, if it really is much easier to ease up on the cryptic-ness when a 'certain someone' _isn't_ having his way with you, maybe I should just _stop_?"

"Ass…" His gravely tone was horribly infectious as her own insult had dropped another octave, her sex absolutely screaming for him now, cries so insistent as she was SO close - so damn close – and the bastard had taken it all away…Merely labeling him as a 'ass' felt increasingly merciful; "Every action…" A long leg shot out to seize the retreating man, "qualifies another." Wrapping the limb around and clutching his strong lower back with her thigh, Miranda brought him forward as her lips curled into a haughty smile. "You aren't the only one used to winning – don't forget that." Such a juxtaposition of emotion as she latched onto his neck, body moving fluidly as something primal now took over while she left a burning trail: exhilaration and dissatisfaction; the maddening desire for him to continue while just as unalterably wanting him to stop and relinquish what she demanded of him. She reversed their positions yet again, wild, long tresses draping his face. "Stop." The word was simple, but held all the confidence of a woman who knew its receiver could not resist its implication. "If you can – if it's so effortless." Her last word flung the challenge at her lover, forcing him to recognize it as her topaz orbs claimed his own deep blue depths. "Would you really? After all this…effort?" Miranda ground her hips into his, relishing the damp trail her folds left against his erect manhood. "Personally; I don't know if I could manage it: being without you right now…I'm not even sure if it wouldn't kill me." Unexpected. It was surprising that the admission did not sting – it felt only natural, as every real truth should. In all of her former sexual encounters, never once was there a loss in control; it was always there, neatly in grasp, for when she needed it…but now the woman could feel only the vertigo of facing a wide abyss, teetering along the edge of intense pleasure and white hot indignation while, despite it all, wanting more. She gazed at the face of her soldier, experienced his every heartbeat beneath his skin, and felt something inside oblige. Something she could not name declare 'worthy' as she pressed her body as intimately as she could against him.

Shepard wondered how such a simple thing as the comfortable weight of another's body on top of him and the warmth of that person's bare skin could be so..._exhilarating_. And yet, extremely soothing at the same time. Exciting, yet he was calm. Intoxicating, yet he was sober. Arousal, yet love. Love...that's what had been missing before, hadn't it? All the women in his past, every single time he had slept with someone before; it had been...different from this. Of course he had been aroused with them as well, and the sex had been good - great, even. But love had never been part of it, this indescribable feeling that was a million different emotions rolled into one, yet unique. For all her physical beauty, the fact that he truly _loved_ Miranda was the real reason she was able to push his buttons as effectively as she did - able to make his heart flutter and cause goosebumps to appear along his arm simply by looking into his eyes, able to arouse him more than anyone else could possibly hope to, making him _hunger_ for her.

His arms had instinctively wrapped around her once more when she pressed against him, holding her as close as possible as he reveled in every sensation and the emotions she awoke deep within him. They lay there in silence, foreheads pressed together intimately as he occasionally brushed his lips to hers ever so slightly; silently hoping that every single touch he made to her skin would convey what words could not, even 'I love you' somehow seemed inadequate to truly encompass every single thing he felt. When the man finally spoke, his low voice was but a whisper as he attempted to voice his thoughts. "I don't think I _can_ stop, not really. I hope you know just how much I love you, Miri. When I...when I say that I do? I mean that with every fiber of my being, but still...it doesn't seem enough." The incessant throbbing of his rigid length pressed so tightly to her heated sex was becoming almost painful. God, how he wanted her - how he loved her. "Let me...let me show you. You can get me back for teasing you later - just...let me love you. _Make_ love to you. No more teasing."

Her lips reflexively produced a warm smile when he was finally able to convey that he would not be able to meet her challenge, though the expression had only grown from their hushed moments of perfect intimacy – and there – there it was again: that alien depth; that…indescribable squeeze in her chest which so deftly skirted pain's domain. Certainly, it was painful in a way: being so close to this man, proximity peeling back her every layer until there was nothing, and she was left bare and dreadfully vulnerable…But then there was a beauty to it, simultaneous with its pulsing warmth as it overloaded her senses with the sole feeling that was _him_. It was no less daunting – terrifying – than before, but now she dared to touch it, fully accept what it had to offer and that feeling – that release…It was sublime. She loved this man. She loved him so much…And he loved her, matched the stirring inside as well as caused it. Yes; there lay the beauty of him, so intense that it was almost blinding in revelation: he gave his heart; he had given it for hers. "It's enough." She exhaled softly, her usually controlled tenor wreaked with emotion, "It's enough…" Miranda repeated, feeling a warm tear cascade down her cheek before having no idea that she was now crying. Her lips met his as she let the tear fall unhindered, wanting him to see every effect he had on her, even if there was still a small part of her that viewed it as a weakness. Shepard had shifted under her, no doubt instinctively, and she cooed from the feel of his member pressing decisively against her and broke their kiss, body immediately reminded of their nakedness and how very much she needed him with his urgent plea. "Mmm…All right: no more teasing." The tremble was all but gone from her voice, replaced seamlessly with desire and affection, "Show me." As soon as the whispered words left her, the brunette was in the process of flipping their bodies over one last time, closing her eyes briefly as she enjoyed the simple pleasure of his soft steel melting against her curves; her lashes opened only partly as two fingers caressed the side of his face, hoping that he understood the importance of her lying beneath him; submissive and willing.

"Show me everything, Addy. _Love me_…"

If it had somehow been possible for the man to fall even further in love with the beautiful woman now lying beneath him, he was sure he would've. For a woman like her - or rather, _her _specifically - for Miranda Lawson to display such trust; for her to be so open to him, both literally and figuratively... it erased any niggling doubts and insecurities he had over the possibility of an amazing woman like her ever loving him. The myriad of emotions displayed in her glistening eyes as she lay beneath him completely open - utterly his, as surely as he was hers - it quickly made him realize that this - _them_ - was the greatest thing he'd ever accomplished or been part of. The brunette's chest barely rose anymore, she almost seemed to be holding her breath as the smooth expanse of her stomach unconsciously tightened while the tip of his rock-hard shaft hovered unbearably close to the entrance of her heated sex with a sense of finality. Shepard allowed himself to marvel at the feelings she awoke deep within him and at the sight in front of him for just a moment longer. This was no dream. No dream could ever match the beauty he saw - the beauty he _felt_ deep within his chest as he took in the face of the woman whose legs were wrapped around him so snugly in this most intimate of embraces. Her cheeks still wet from the kind of tears that he knew he would never want to wipe away and her slightly swollen, well-kissed lips were parted as she stared into his eyes in anticipation; the same lips that had just asked him to show her what he felt for her, the same lips that had just asked him to love her.

"I do."

Shepard whispered his answer as he brushed his lips over hers once more, retreating his head far enough to be able to ensure constant eye contact as he finally ended their mutual, exquisite torture. He guided the head of his manhood to her hot, slick entrance and began pushing gently, wanting to savour every single sensation. Miranda inhaled sharply as the very tip of him entered her, joining with her little by little in a single, excruciatingly slow motion until he was finally buried to the very hilt inside the woman he loved. Her velvety walls, slick with her arousal felt almost impossibly tight around his rigid length as her inner muscles seemed to be pulling him even further into her core, even when it wasn't physically possible anymore; the sensation was indescribable. Slowly pulling back before thrusting back into her welcoming depths, the two lovers gradually fell into an almost hypnotic rhythm; the only sounds in the room made by their loving whispers of each other's names, her soft whimpers and moans against his lips and his low grunts of pleasure against hers as they surrendered everything they possibly could of themselves to the other.

"_Miri..._"

"_Yes_…"

And it was breathtaking. Never – never had she felt this: this…beauty; as if two bodies could ever truly become one. Never had she felt so complete then in these moments when he filled her so, with love and body, made her wonder how it was she'd gone without this. Miranda moaned as she raised and lowered her hips in time with his thrusts, their gentle rhythm, as natural as the flow and ebb of the tide, now becoming a thing more needy – more insistent as she cried out for him. His hands now instinctively grasping her hips, pulled her to him each time he came to her, each crash deeper; faster…But she was no longer her brain: fully tuned to her body moving with his, the transition was a smooth one, catching these more aggressive dips and giving them right back with strong pushes. So deep, so deep…She breathed for him now: more; more. Her nails dug into his back, hugging his body as close as humanly possible – and then, even closer. The pace of them together, their sheer fluidity, gave her a focus and she clung to it before she lost herself, even with her lover's added motions, now grinding against her every time their hips met. He was close. She was close – even despite wishing this – this moment; this fragment in time – to continue on forever… Miranda could feel it: the mounting waves of immeasurable pleasure inside that continued to climb, continued to tighten with each moment threatening to snap…All while her body released short, torturous bursts of pleasure with every push and pull.

"_Oh, God_…_Addy_…." Her body suddenly tensed and Miranda felt the first intense ripple of her second orgasm as she rocked against him, thrusting all she had into him now, "_Please_…_Together_…."

Every single thing, every action in the impenetrable cocoon the two lovers now occupied was building - leading to the end: the climax. From the exquisite sensation created by the friction of her smooth skin moving against his, every moan both soft and loud against his lips or breathlessly uttered at the base of his ear, the jolt that went through his body as her nails dug into his flesh; to the way her slick walls erratically tightened and squeezed around his sensitive manhood as she was hitting her peak. It was all too much for Shepard's strained self control. He finally let himself be taken over the edge together with the woman that had become his all, giving in to her request. With one final thrust into her that left them as close as two humans could physically be, he let go and allowed the feeling and sight of Miranda experiencing her own orgasm finally release the immense pressure that had been building in an intense orgasm that left his entire body shuddering in her embrace; the cries of utter ecstasy and love from them both muffled by the other's lips.

Face nestled firmly against Shepard's neck, Miranda gasped through the shudderings of his own release, his orgasm making hers all the more intense as she did all she could to prolong his...Until they both came crashing down onto the mattress, damp with the sweat of their exertions.

Body deliciously sated, though completely drained, a small eternity passed with just her eyes closed, the simple experience of the strong pulses of his heartbeat - the echo of her own - providing such rich intimacy. "I love you." The breathless whisper flowed from her lips with such ease. It seemed...necessary - even if he already knew, even if it had been pronounced before.

Taking a few moments longer to steady his breath against the skin of her neck, Shepard pulled back to gaze at the beauty that was the look of utter contentment and bliss on her face sent a warm tingle up his spine. The expression seeming to echo the words spoken; words that he was beginning to understand just how true they were when uttered by her; words that made him feel safe - at home. The man was absentmindedly toying with a lock of her silken hair as he studied every little nuance of the expression on her face, a lazy smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You know, I think I'd like to get used to hearing you say that."

She could 'hear' the smile in his voice as he played with her hair, no doubt that slight lopsided line that often made her roll her eyes at him. Now...Miranda's hand snaked up his body: up his ribs, ascending his arm, and finally resting against his cheek, thumb caressing the stubbly skin. A smile slowly spread on her lips as she finally revealed blue eyes to him. "I love you..."

She raised her face to kiss a spot on his forehead. "I love you." The brunette slowly detached her lips from his skin to deliver another kiss to the spot she caressed on his cheek. Leaving once more, Miranda caught and held his gaze before delivering a final kiss to his lips, lingering there until she lacked air. Slowly backing away, she once more opened her orbs, so regularly cool and analyzing, to show everything...Everything. "I love you, Adrian Shepard."

"I..." The man found himself momentarily at a loss for words as she now repeated those three words like it was the easiest, most natural thing in the world to her when only earlier that same night she had found it so difficult to verbalize her feelings. The syllables and the gleam in her eyes hammering home with a sense of finality the reason why they were lying here fused together in the most intimate of ways: she loved him. She loved him just as surely as his heart currently beat because of her - as surely as it now beat _for_ her. He proceeded to slowly let his lips mimic the path hers had followed: brushing over her still damp forehead and lingering at her cheek before briefly claiming said lips once more, pulling back and letting a warm smile grace his features as blue-grey met topaz. "And I love _you_, Miranda Lawson. More than you know."

But she did. The woman knew well how much she meant to the man lying on top of her now, forsaking all others by choosing to be here, when all the galaxy needed him. Granting her a bliss that easily could have been another woman's. She answered the call of his smile, it close to instinctive now, with her own: there had been a time when such a sense of power of any one man would have been satisfying, another support to the once foundation that she was wholly and completely self-reliant. But now, a gaze was all it took; only a gaze into those orbs of his and she felt just as helpless - just as willing.

Dropping her hand from cradling his cheek, the brunette's digits settled on his muscular back, rubbing small circles there. "Mm...You could always go about proving it. Especially if I were to have an encore of your..." Her smile curled further, "performance."

Miranda's playful tone turned Shepard's own smile into a full-blown grin once more. "Ah...that is certainly _very_ doable, not to mention tempting. _But_ I seem to remember that I had some terms for for this little _engagement_ of ours - terms that have yet to be met. You were very insistent about me..._taking_ you, and I believe I said that what I wanted in return was for you to take _me_. Now, I'd say that I've fulfilled my end of the bargain, but I'm still feeling very un-taken here, _Ms. Lawson_." The man concluded with a small peck on the tip of her nose.

The woman couldn't help but chuckle at his response, before raising a slender eyebrow as she spoke. "Well, we can't have that now can we, _Commander_?"

A faint blue glow and laughter filled the room as the two lovers continued to explore one another, they had all night and sleep deprivation was a small price to pay.

Neither of them were under any illusions: once this little moment of peace, joy and love was over there was still the rest of their reality to deal with. Colleagues and friends to mourn, battles to be fought and a galaxy to save. The Reapers would be arriving sooner or later, and for the two of them 'happily ever after' would at the very least have to wait. But having something so deeply personal to fight for in the coming war, to have these elusive moments of happiness and having not a place but rather _someone_ to call home...

For now, that was more than enough.

* * *

Th-th-th-that's all, folks!


End file.
